Mission applications of an Integrated Solar Upper Stage (ISUS)
- Air Force Phillips Lab., Kirtland AFB, NM (United States)
- Idaho National Engineering Lab., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
The Integrated Solar Upper Stage (ISUS) Program at the US Air Force`s Phillips Laboratory is directing its efforts to solving endemic national spacelift architecture problems. Air Force Space Command has called spacelift both unaffordable and nonresponsive; today`s space launch systems are descendants of 1950`s era ICBM technologies and require prolonged on-pad processing. Advanced propulsion techniques, reusability, and modular architectures have not been generally incorporated into US systems. The ISUS system is an advanced, integrated upper stage concept that would permit payload realignment, allowing large payloads to be moved to smaller, less expensive boosters; such realignment both reduces cost and enhances responsiveness, as smaller boosters cost less to launch and require less vehicle and payload processing time. Three ISUS operational concepts are discussed, allowing the realignment of payloads currently launched aboard Titan IV/Centaur, Atlas IIAS, and Delta 2. A space demonstration of ISUS is examined. The Integrated Solar Upper Stage is a single piece of hardware that provides electric power and orbit transfer propulsion to a spacecraft. There are three major subsystems that comprise the ISUS; the receiver/absorber/converter or RAC, the concentrators, and the hydrogen tankage and feed subsystem.
- OSTI ID:
- 163418
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950729-; TRN: IM9604%%523
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 30. intersociety energy conversion engineering conference, Orlando, FL (United States), 30 Jul - 5 Aug 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the 30. intersociety energy conversion engineering conference. Volume 1; Goswami, D.Y. [ed.] [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)]; Kannberg, L.D.; Somasundaram, S. [eds.] [Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)]; Mancini, T.R. [ed.] [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)]; PB: 798 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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