NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
An Overview of the Nuclear Electric Xenon Ion System (NEXIS) ActivityThe Nuclear Electric Xenon Ion System (NEXIS) research and development activity within NASA's Project Prometheus, was one of three proposals selected by NASA to develop thruster technologies for long life, high power, high specific impulse nuclear electric propulsion systems that would enable more robust and ambitious science exploration missions to the outer solar system. NEXIS technology represents a dramatic improvement in the state-of-the-art for ion propulsion and is designed to achieve propellant throughput capabilities >= 2000 kg and efficiencies >= 78% while increasing the thruster power to >= 20 kW and specific impulse to >= 6000 s. The NEXIS technology uses erosion resistant carbon-carbon grids, a graphite keeper, a new reservoir hollow cathode, a 65-cm diameter chamber masked to produce a 57-cm diameter ion beam, and a shared neutralizer architecture to achieve these goals. The accomplishments of the NEXIS activity so far include performance testing of a laboratory model thruster, successful completion of a proof of concept reservoir cathode 2000 hour wear test, structural and thermal analysis of a completed development model thruster design, fabrication of most of the development model piece parts, and the nearly complete vacuum facility modifications to allow long duration wear testing of high power ion thrusters.
Document ID
20070023749
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Randolph, Thomas M.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Polk, James E., Jr.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 23, 2013
Publication Date
July 12, 2004
Subject Category
Spacecraft Propulsion And Power
Report/Patent Number
AIAA Paper 2004-3450
Meeting Information
Meeting: 40th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Country: United States
Start Date: July 11, 2004
End Date: July 14, 2004
Sponsors: American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, American Society for Engineering Education, Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
ion thrusters
electric propulsion systems

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available