Lunar transfer vehicle design issues with electric propulsion systems

Conference · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:5523513

Palaszewski, B

This paper describes parametric design studies of electric propulsion lunar transfer vehicles. In designing a lunar transfer vehicle, selecting the 'best' operating points for the design parameters allows significant reductions in the mass in low earth orbit (LEO) for the mission. These parameters include the specific impulse, the power level, and the propulsion technology. Many of the decisions regarding the operating points are controlled by the propulsion and power system technologies that are available for the spacecraft. The relationship between these technologies is discussed and analyzed here. It is found that both ion and MPD propulsion offer significant LEO mass reductions over O2/H2 for lunar transfer vehicle missions. The recommended operating points for the lunar transfer vehicle are an I(sp) of 5000 lb(f)-s/lb(m) and a 1 MW power level. For large lunar missions, krypton may be the best choice for ion propulsion. 17 refs.

• OSTI ID: 5523513
• Report Number(s): AIAA-Paper-89-2375; CONF-8907118-
• Resource Relation: Conference: 25. American Society of Mechanical Engineers joint propulsion conference, Monterey, CA (USA), 10-13 Jul 1989
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
PROPULSION SYSTEMS
DESIGN
SPACE VEHICLES
EARTH PLANET
ION PROPULSION
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MOON
ORBITS
PLANNING
PLASMA
POWER SYSTEMS
WEIGHT
ENERGY SYSTEMS
FLUID MECHANICS
HYDRODYNAMICS
MECHANICS
PLANETS
PROPULSION
SATELLITES
VEHICLES
420200* - Engineering- Facilities
Equipment
& Techniques