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A mission profile life test facilityA test facility is being prepared for a 16,000 hour mission profile life test of multiple electric propulsion thrust subsystems. The facility will be capable of simultaneously operating three 2.7 kW, 30 cm mercury ion thrusters and their power processing. The facility will permit conduction of a program of long-term tests to document thruster characteristics as a function of time and operating point to allow prediction of thruster performance for any mission profile. The thruster will be tested in a 7m by 10m vacuum chamber. Each thruster will be installed in a separate lock chamber so that it can be extended into, or extracted from the main chamber without violating the vacuum integrity of the other thruster. The thrusters will exhaust into a 3m by 5m frozen mercury target. The target and an array of cryopanels to collect sputtered target material will be liquid nitrogen chilled. Power processor units will be tested in an adjacent 1.5m by 2m vacuum chamber and will be temperature controlled by simulated heat pipes.
Document ID
19780053522
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
James, E.
(Xerox Electro-Optical Systems Pasadena, Calif., United States)
Vetrone, R.
(Xerox Electro-Optical Systems Pasadena, CA, United States)
Bechtel, R.
(NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, Ohio, United States)
Date Acquired
August 9, 2013
Publication Date
April 1, 1978
Subject Category
Ground Support Systems And Facilities (Space)
Report/Patent Number
AIAA PAPER 78-671
Meeting Information
Meeting: International Electric Propulsion Conference
Location: San Diego, CA
Country: US
Start Date: April 25, 1978
End Date: April 27, 1978
Sponsors: Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Accession Number
78A37431
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS3-20399
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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