Packaging and deployment of a 5. 5 MWe potassium---Rankine nuclear electric propulsion spacecraft

Conference · Tue Jan 19 23:00:00 EST 1993 · AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.43130· OSTI ID:5460601

Rovang, R D; Marko, M ^[1]

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1. Rockwell International, Rocketdyne Division, 6633 Canoga Avenue, P.O. Box 7922, Canoga Park, California 91309-7922 (United States)

A design study was performed to investigate packaging and deployment options for the potassium---Rankine, nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) spacecraft described by Rovang (1992). The subject spacecraft is the cargo portion of a split-sprint (cargo/piloted) Mars mission, carrying 144 mt of cargo. Two parallel SP-100 type reactors, potassium---Rankine power conversion assemblies, and argon ion thrusters are utilized in the selected architecture. A spacecraft design and deployment approach which uses two heavy lift launch vehicles (HLLV) to insert the entire spacecraft into low Earth orbit is presented.

• OSTI ID: 5460601
• Report Number(s): CONF-930103--
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States), Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States) Vol. 271:3; ISSN 0094-243X; ISSN APCPCS
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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