Lunar mission design using nuclear thermal rockets
- Science Applications International Corporation, 1515 Woodfield Road, Suite 350, Schaumburg, Illinois 60173 (USA)
- NASA Lewis Research Center, M/S 501-6, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44135 (USA)
The NERVA-class Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR), with performance nearly double that of advanced chemical engines, has long been considered an enabling technology for human missions to Mars. NTR engines address the demanding trip time and payload delivery needs of both cargo-only and piloted flights. But NTR can also reduce the Earth launch requirements for manned lunar missions. First use of NTR for the Moon would be less demanding and would provide a test-bed for early operations experience with this powerful technology. Study of application and design options indicates that NTR propulsion can be integrated with the Space Exploration Initiative scenarios to deliver performance gains while managing controlled, long-term disposal of spent reactors to highly stable orbits.
- OSTI ID:
- 5666297
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-910116-; CODEN: APCPC; TRN: 91-019972
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States), Vol. 217:1; 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
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Related Subjects
GENERAL PHYSICS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
MOON
SPACE FLIGHT
ROCKETS
SPACE PROPULSION REACTORS
MARS SPACE PROBES
ORBIT STABILITY
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
SPACE TRANSPORT
SPACE VEHICLES
MOBILE REACTORS
POWER REACTORS
PROPULSION REACTORS
REACTORS
SATELLITES
SPACE POWER REACTORS
STABILITY
TRANSPORT
VEHICLES
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
640107* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Planetary Phenomena
220800 - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Propulsion Reactors