Performance impact on nuclear thermal propulsion of piloted Mars missions with short transit timesThe requirements of nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) are examined with respect to a specific mission scenario derived from Stafford Committee recommendations. The recommended mission scenario is a split/sprint opposition mission which includes a piloted vehicle and a cargo vehicle, and the baseline mission is developed from a reference trajectory. Key mision parameters are developed from the baseline mission, including engine-thrust levels, mission opportunity, and engine burn-time requirements. The impact of engine failure is also considered in terms of burn-time requirements, and other mission-performance issues considered include propulsion-technology assumptions, triple-perigee earth-departure burns, and Mars parking-orbit selection. The engine requirements call for a 50-75-klb engine-thrust level, maximum single burn time of 0.6 hours, and a maximum total-mission burn time of 1.7 hours. For a crew of 6, a 475-day total-mission trip with a 90-day stay at Mars is possible.
Document ID
19910067703
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Wickenheiser, T. J. (NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Gessner, K. S. (NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Alexander, S. W. (NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)