Radioisotope Electric Propulsion Centaur Orbiter Spacecraft Design OverviewRadioisotope electric propulsion (REP) has been shown in past studies to enable missions to outerplanetary bodies including the orbiting of Centaur asteroids. Key to the feasibility for REP missions are long life, low power electric propulsion (EP) devices, low mass radioisotope power systems (RPS) and light spacecraft (S/C) components. In order to determine what are the key parameters for EP devices to perform these REP missions a design study was completed to design an REP S/C to orbit a Centaur in a New Frontiers cost cap. The design shows that an orbiter using several long lived (approximately 200 kg Xenon throughput), low power (approximately 700 W) Hall thrusters teamed with six (150 W each) Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generators (ASRG) can deliver 60 kg of science instruments to a Centaur in 10 yr within the New Frontiers cost cap. Optimal specific impulses for the Hall thrusters were found to be around 2000 sec with thruster efficiencies over 40%. Not only can the REP S/C enable orbiting a Centaur (when compared to an all chemical mission only capable of flybys) but the additional power from the REP system can be reused to enhance science and simplify communications.
Document ID
20090029908
Acquisition Source
Glenn Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Oleson, Steve (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
McGuire, Melissa (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Sarver-Verhey, Tim (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Juergens, Jeff (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Parkey, Tom (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Dankanich, John (Gray Research, Inc. Cleveland, OHL, United States)
Fiehler, Doug (ASRC Aerospace Corp. Cleveland, OH, United States)
Gyekenyesi, John (N and R Engineering Cleveland, OH, United States)
Hemminger, Joseph (N and R Engineering Cleveland, OH, United States)
Gilland, Jim (Ohio Aerospace Inst. Brook Park, OH, United States)
Colozza, Tony (Analex Corp. Cleveland, OH, United States)
Packard, Tom (Analex Corp. Cleveland, OH, United States)
Nguyen, Thahn (Analex Corp. Cleveland, OH, United States)
Schmitz, Paul (Power Computing Solutions, Inc. Cleveland, OH, United States)
Ostdiek, Paul (Johns Hopkins Univ. Laurel, MD, United States)
Gold, Rob (Johns Hopkins Univ. Laurel, MD, United States)
Lisse, Carey (Johns Hopkins Univ. Laurel, MD, United States)
Hibbits, Karl (Johns Hopkins Univ. Laurel, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
July 1, 2009
Subject Category
Spacecraft Propulsion And Power
Report/Patent Number
AIAA Paper 2008-5179E-16578-1NASA/TM-2009-215488
Meeting Information
Meeting: 44th Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit
Location: Hartford, CT
Country: United States
Start Date: July 21, 2008
End Date: July 23, 2008
Sponsors: American Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics