Mars Mission Analysis Trades Based on Legacy and Future Nuclear Propulsion Options

Journal Article · Tue Jan 30 04:00:00 EST 2007 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2437467· OSTI ID:21054546

Joyner, Russell ^[1]; Lentati, Andrea ^[2]; Cichon, Jaclyn ^[3]

---

1. Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne, West Palm Beach, Florida (United States)
2. Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia (United States)
3. University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (United States)

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of mission-based system trades when using a nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) system for Solar System exploration. The results are based on comparing reactor designs that use a ceramic-metallic (CERMET), graphite matrix, graphite composite matrix, or carbide matrix fuel element designs. The composite graphite matrix and CERMET designs have been examined for providing power as well as propulsion. Approaches to the design of the NTP to be discussed will include an examination of graphite, composite, carbide, and CERMET core designs and the attributes of each in regards to performance and power generation capability. The focus is on NTP approaches based on tested fuel materials within a prismatic fuel form per the Argonne National Laboratory testing and the ROVER/NERVA program. NTP concepts have been examined for several years at Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne for use as the primary propulsion for human missions beyond earth. Recently, an approach was taken to examine the design trades between specific NTP concepts; NERVA-based (UC)C-Graphite, (UC,ZrC)C-Composite, (U,Zr)C-Solid Carbide and UO2-W CERMET. Using Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne's multidisciplinary design analysis capability, a detailed mission and vehicle model has been used to examine how several of these NTP designs impact a human Mars mission. Trends for the propulsion system mass as a function of power level (i.e. thrust size) for the graphite-carbide and CERMET designs were established and correlated against data created over the past forty years. These were used for the mission trade study. The resulting mission trades presented in this paper used a comprehensive modeling approach that captures the mission, vehicle subsystems, and NTP sizing.

• OSTI ID: 21054546
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 880; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
CERAMICS
CERMETS
DESIGN
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
FISSION
GRAPHITE
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
NUCLEAR FUELS
PERFORMANCE
PROPULSION
PROPULSION REACTORS
PROPULSION SYSTEMS
REACTOR MATERIALS
SOLAR SYSTEM
TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION
TESTING
URANIUM CARBIDES
URANIUM DIOXIDE
ZIRCONIUM CARBIDES