Advanced hybrid nuclear propulsion Mars mission performance enhancement

Details Advanced hybrid nuclear propulsion Mars mission performance enhancement Advanced hybrid nuclear propulsion Mars mission performance enhancement

Feb 1992

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1992ans..meet...16d&link_type=abstract

Presented at the American Nuclear Society Meeting, Jackson Hole, WY, 16-19 Aug. 1992

Computer Science

Performance

Electric Propulsion, Nuclear Propulsion, Propulsion System Configurations, Propulsion System Performance, Space Power Reactors, Spacecraft Power Supplies, Feasibility Analysis, Hybrid Propulsion, Mars (Planet), Space Exploration, Space Flight

Scientific paper

Nuclear electric propulsion (NEP), compared with chemical and nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP), can effectively deliver the same mass to Mars using much less propellant, consequently requiring less mass delivered to Earth orbit. The lower thrust of NEP requires a spiral trajectory near planetary bodies, which significantly increases the travel time. Although the total travel time is long, the portion of the flight time spent during interplanetary transfer is shorter, because the vehicle is thrusting for much longer periods of time. This has led to the supposition that NEP, although very attractive for cargo missions, is not suitable for piloted missions to Mars. However, with the application of a hybrid approach to propulsion, the benefits of NEP can be utilized while drastically reducing the overall travel time required. Development of a dual-mode system, which utilizes high-thrust NTP to propel the spacecraft from the planetary gravitational influence and low-thrust NEP to accelerate in interplanetary space, eliminates the spiral trajectory and results in a much faster transit time than could be obtained by either NEP or NTP alone. This results in a mission profile with a lower initial mass in low Earth orbit. In addition, the propulsion system would have the capability to provide electrical power for mission applications.

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