Spacecraft and mission design for the SP-100 flight experiment

Book · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5192880

Deininger, W D; Vondra, R J

The design and performance of a spacecraft employing arcjet nuclear electric propulsion, suitable for use in the SP-100 Space Reactor Power System (SRPS) Flight Experiment, are outlined. The vehicle design is based on a 93 kW(e) ammonia arcjet system operating at an experimentally measured specific impulse of 1031 s and an efficiency of 42.3 percent. The arcjet/gimbal assemblies, power conditioning subsystem, propellant feed system, propulsion system thermal control, spacecraft diagnostic instrumentation, and the telemetry requirements are described. A 100 kW(e) SRPS is assumed. The spacecraft mass is baselined at 5675 kg excluding the propellant and propellant feed system. Four mission scenarios are described which are capable of demonstrating the full capability of the SRPS. The missions considered include spacecraft deployment to possible surveillance platform orbits, a spacecraft storage mission, and an orbit raising round trip corresponding to possible orbit transfer vehicle (OTV) missions.

• OSTI ID: 5192880
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
SPACE FLIGHT
MISSION ANALYSIS
SPACE POWER REACTORS
POWER CONDITIONING CIRCUITS
SPACE VEHICLES
SPECIFICATIONS
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
PROPULSION SYSTEMS
MOBILE REACTORS
POWER REACTORS
REACTORS
VEHICLES
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
210600* - Power Reactors
Auxiliary
Mobile Package
& Transportable