Trade studies on Integrated Solar Upper Stage (ISUS) systems

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:163421

Malloy, J D ^[1]; Jacox, M G; Kennedy, F G ^[2]

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1. Babcock and Wilcox, Lynchburg, VA (United States)
2. Air Force Phillips Lab., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

The Integrated Solar Upper Stage (ISUS) Program at the USAF Phillips Laboratory is directed at demonstrating a solar bimodal power and propulsion system for military applications. Trades were performed to examine the potential performance of the ISUS stage combined with the proposed LLV-3 launch vehicle. Variation in ISUS thermal power directly affects the trip time from LEO to GEO. These variations can be altered by changing average propellant temperature raising or lowering the average specific impulse. If the ISUS system is sized for the spacecraft`s electrical power requirements, this can result in long trip times for high mass satellites with low electrical power requirements. The ISUS can be sized, however, for a suitable thermal power to allow more rapid trip times with minimum impact on delivered mass. Such a system can place significantly more payload in GEO than a solid chemical stage. The mass advantages of the ISUS increase as electrical power requirements increase, rising from 46% improvement at 0 kW(e) to 179% improvement at 3 kW(e).

• OSTI ID: 163421
• Report Number(s): CONF-950729--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
CAVITY RECEIVERS
DESIGN
DIMENSIONS
HYDROGEN FUELS
PARABOLIC COLLECTORS
PERFORMANCE
PROPULSION SYSTEMS
SIZING
SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANTS
SPACECRAFT POWER SUPPLIES
THERMIONIC DIODES