Nuclear Electric Propulsion - A concept for solar system explorationThe potential of Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) to meet the increasing demands of our planetary space exploration program is examined and evaluated. Based on an assumption of a modest growth beyond current technology, an NEP system is described that provides performance advantage over all competitive technologies. Flight times and available payload mass - as indicators of mission performance - are compared for several mission opportunities of interest. NEP is shown to have a unique capacity for substantial reductions in mission flight times in terms of payloads consistent with the needs of planetary exploration.
Document ID
19810057804
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Nagorski, R. P. (California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA, United States)