Enabling a New Generation of Outer Solar System Missions: Engineering Design Studies for Nuclear Electric Propulsion

Casani, John R.; Gibson, Marc A.; Poston, David I.; Strange, Nathan; Elliott, John; McNutt, R. L.; McCarty, Steven L.; McClure, Patrick; Oleson, Steven R.; Sotin, C.

doi:10.3847/25c2cfeb.cdb2753c

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The most significant technological development would be the development of a nuclear electric propulsion system (NEP; cf. Casani et al, 2020), which would substantially decrease the cruise time to Pluto. Casani et al (2020) show that a 10-kilowatt-electric (kWe) NEP spacecraft can deliver 67% more payload with 2.4 years shorter flight time compared to the current radioisotope electric propulsion (REP) system.…”

Section: Introduction: the Case For Returning To The Kuiper Beltmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Casani et al, 2020), which would substantially decrease the cruise time to Pluto. Casani et al (2020) show that a 10-kilowatt-electric (kWe) NEP spacecraft can deliver 67% more payload with 2.4 years shorter flight time compared to the current radioisotope electric propulsion (REP) system. They also showed that a kWe system would enable greater than four times the data rate at Pluto compared with the REP option.…”

Section: Introduction: the Case For Returning To The Kuiper Beltmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Persephone: A Pluto-system Orbiter and Kuiper Belt Explorer

et al. 2021

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Persephone is a NASA concept mission study that addresses key questions raised by New Horizons’ encounters with Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs), with arguably the most important being, “Does Pluto have a subsurface ocean?” More broadly, Persephone would answer four significant science questions: (1) What are the internal structures of Pluto and Charon? (2) How have the surfaces and atmospheres in the Pluto system evolved? (3) How has the KBO population evolved? (4) What are the particles and magnetic field environments of the Kuiper Belt? To answer these questions, Persephone has a comprehensive payload, and it would both orbit within the Pluto system and encounter other KBOs. The nominal mission is 30.7 yr long, with launch in 2031 on a Space Launch System Block 2 rocket with a Centaur kick stage, followed by a 27.6 yr cruise powered by existing radioisotope electric propulsion and a Jupiter gravity assist to reach Pluto in 2058. En route to Pluto, Persephone would have one 50–100 km class KBO encounter before starting a 3.1-Earth-year orbital campaign of the Pluto system. The mission also includes the potential for an 8 yr extended mission, which would enable the exploration of another KBO in the 100–150 km size class. The mission payload includes 11 instruments: Panchromatic and Color High-Resolution Imager, Low-Light Camera, Ultra-Violet Spectrometer, Near-Infrared (IR) Spectrometer, Thermal IR Camera, Radio Frequency Spectrometer, Mass Spectrometer, Altimeter, Sounding Radar, Magnetometer, and Plasma Spectrometer. The nominal cost of this mission is $3.0 billion, making it a large strategic science mission.

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Section: Introduction: the Case For Returning To The Kuiper Beltmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introduction: the Case For Returning To The Kuiper Beltmentioning

confidence: 99%

Persephone: A Pluto-system Orbiter and Kuiper Belt Explorer

et al. 2021

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Thrust of a pulsed plasma jet measured from deviations of a ballistic pendulum

Scurtu,

Ticoș,

Udrea

et al. 2024

Phys. Scr.

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We measured the force of the plasma jet produced by a pulsed coaxial plasma gun operated at voltages up to 2 kV, using a home-made ballistic pendulum positioned in two locations, one in the proximity of the gun nozzle at 0.75 cm and the second at a distance of 9 cm from the gun nozzle. The force of the plasma wind is inferred and ranges from 11 to 60 N, which is almost an order of magnitude higher than that of typical ion-based thrusters. The results of various models of self and applied field magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters indicate that the magnetic component thrust tends to dominate over the thermal expansion, particularly at higher discharge voltages of 1.5 kV and 2 kV. The highest thrust of 60 N is obtained for a 2 kV discharging voltage. The plasma was ignited in CO2 at pressures 1 to 5 Torr. The displacement of the pendulum pushed by the plasma wind force was measured using a high-speed camera.

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Enabling a New Generation of Outer Solar System Missions: Engineering Design Studies for Nuclear Electric Propulsion

Cited by 2 publications

References 8 publications

Persephone: A Pluto-system Orbiter and Kuiper Belt Explorer

Persephone: A Pluto-system Orbiter and Kuiper Belt Explorer

Thrust of a pulsed plasma jet measured from deviations of a ballistic pendulum

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