The engineering of a nuclear thermal landing and ascent vehicle utilizing indigenous Martian propellant

Conference · Sat Jan 05 00:00:00 EST 1991 · AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.40137· OSTI ID:5489252

Zubrin, R M ^[1]

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1. Martin Marietta Astronautics, P.O. Box 179, Denver, Colorado 80201 (US)

The following paper reports on a design study of a novel space transportation concept known as a NIMF'' (Nuclear rocket using Indigenous Martian Fuel.) The NIMF is a ballistic vehicle which obtains its propellant out of the Martian air by compression and liquefaction of atmospheric CO{sub 2}. This propellant is subsequently used to generate rocket thrust at a specific impulse of 264 s by being heated to high temperature (2800 K) gas in the NIMFs' nuclear thermal rocket engines. The vehicle is designed to provide surface to orbit and surface to surface transportation, as well as housing, for a crew of three astronauts. It is capable of refueling itself for a flight to its maximum orbit in less than 50 days. The ballistic NIMF has a mass of 44.7 tonnes and, with the assumed 2800 K propellant temperature, is capable of attaining highly energetic (250 km by 34000 km elliptical) orbits. This allows it to rendezvous with interplanetary transfer vehicles which are only very loosely bound into orbit around Mars. If a propellant temperature of 2000 K is assumed, then low Mars orbit can be attained; while if 3100 K is assumed, then the ballistic NIMF is capable of injecting itself onto a minimum energy transfer orbit to Earth in a direct ascent from the Martian surface.

• OSTI ID: 5489252
• Report Number(s): CONF-910116-; CODEN: APCPC; TRN: 91-024723
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States), Vol. 217:2; Conference: 8. symposium on space nuclear power systems, Albuquerque, NM (United States), 6-10 Jan 1991; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
MARS SPACE PROBES
SPACE TRANSPORT
SPACE VEHICLES
DESIGN
CARBON DIOXIDE
PROPELLANTS
SPACE PROPULSION REACTORS
VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
MOBILE REACTORS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POWER REACTORS
PROPULSION REACTORS
REACTORS
SPACE POWER REACTORS
TRANSPORT
VEHICLES
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
220800* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Propulsion Reactors
330600 - Advanced Propulsion Systems- Vehicle Design Factors