Piloted Mars Mission Requirements of relatively short trip times and low initial mass in Earth orbit as identified by the NASA Space Exploration Initiative, indicate the need for multimegawatt electric propulsion systems. The design considerations and results for two thruster types, the argon ion, and hydrogen magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters, are addressed in terms of configuration, performance, and mass projections. Preliminary estimates of power management and distribution for these systems are given. Some assessment of these systems' performance in a reference Space Exploration Initiative piloted mission are discussed. Research and development requirements of these systems are also described.
Multimegawatt electric propulsion system design considerations
International Electric Propulsion Conference ; 1990 ; Orlando, FL, United States
1991-08-01
Conference paper
No indication
English
Multimegawatt electric propulsion for Mars missions
AIAA | 1991
|Multimegawatt electric propulsion for Mars missions
NTRS | 1991
|