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The electric rail gun for space propulsion
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Bauer, D. P. Vahlberg, C. J. Barber, J. P. |
| Copyright Year | 1981 |
| Description | An analytic feasibility investigation of an electric propulsion concept for space application is described. In this concept, quasistatic thrust due to inertial reaction to repetitively accelerated pellets by an electric rail gun is used to propel a spacecraft. The study encompasses the major subsystems required in an electric rail gun propulsion system. The mass, performance, and configuration of each subsystem are described. Based on an analytic model of the system mass and performance, the electric rail gun mission performance as a reusable orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) is analyzed and compared to a 30 cm ion thruster system (BIMOD) and a chemical propulsion system (IUS) for payloads with masses of 1150 kg and 2300 kg. For system power levels in the range from 25 kW(e) to 100 kW(e) an electric rail gun OTV is more attractive than a BIMOD system for low Earth orbit to geosynchronous orbit transfer durations in the range from 20 to 120 days. |
| File Size | 5099358 |
| Page Count | 170 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_19810013548 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t5k981000 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 1981-02-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Spacecraft Propulsion And Power Power Conditioning Electric Propulsion Orbit Transfer Vehicles Electric Pulses Low Earth Orbits Energy Conversion Kinetic Energy Electric Current Thrust Spacecraft Propulsion Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports Server (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Technical Report |
