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Plasma contactor technology for Space Station FreedomHollow cathode plasma contactors have been baselined for Space Station Freedom to control the electrical potentials of surfaces to eliminate/mitigate damaging interactions with the space environment. The system represents a dual-use technology which is a direct outgrowth of the NASA electric propulsion program and in particular the technology development effort on ion thruster systems. Specific efforts include optimizing the design and configuration of the contactor, validating its required lifetime, and characterizing the contactor plume and electromagnetic interference. The plasma contactor subsystems include the plasma contactor unit, a power electronics unit, and an expellant management unit. Under this program these will all be brought to breadboard and engineering model development status. New test facilities have been developed, and existing facilities have been augmented, to support characterizations and life testing of contactor components and systems. This paper discusses the magnitude, scope, and status of the plasma contactor hardware development program now under way and preliminary test results on system components.
Document ID
19930066037
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Patterson, Michael J.
(NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Hamley, John A.
(NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Sarver-Verhey, Timothy
(NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Soulas, George C.
(NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Parkes, James
(Sverdrup Technology, Inc. Brook Park, OH, United States)
Ohlinger, Wayne L.
(Georgia Inst. of Technology Atlanta, United States)
Schaffner, Michael S.
(Cleveland State Univ. OH, United States)
Nelson, Amy
(Purdue Univ. West Lafayette, IN, United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
June 1, 1993
Subject Category
Spacecraft Design, Testing And Performance
Report/Patent Number
AIAA PAPER 93-2228
Meeting Information
Meeting: AIAA, SAE, ASME, and ASEE, Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit
Location: Monterey, CA
Country: United States
Start Date: June 28, 1993
End Date: June 30, 1993
Sponsors: SAE, ASME, AIAA, ASEE
Accession Number
93A50034
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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