| Experimental Study of the Mini-Helicon Thruster |
Feb-2008 |
81 pages |
| Authors:
Jean-Luc Cambier; Oleg Batishchev; MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH CAMBRIDGE SPACE PROPULSION LAB
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 | An experimental program to develop and test a mini-helicon thruster is described. The helicon discharge was designed and built in several different configurations using low- and high-current electromagnets. The program was designed to address several objectives: (i) to achieve a high coupling of RF-power to plasma and efficient acceleration to 20km/sec; (ii) to evaluate the scaling relations between power density, flow rates and B-field strength; (iii) to demonstrate operation with ... |
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| Colloid Thrusters, Physics, Fabrication and Performance |
17 NOV 2005 |
14 pages |
| Authors:
Manuel Martinez-Sanchez; Akintunde I. Akinwande; MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH CAMBRIDGE SPACE PROPULSION LAB
|
| This document summarizes the results of 3 and 1/2 years of work by our team on the basic physics and technology required for the development of Colloid Thrusters (also called more recently Electrospray Thrusters). The research covered the basic physics of operation in the mixed ion-droplet mode, later extended to the newly discovered pure ionic mode, the microfabrication in Silicon of two types of arrays of colloid or electrospray emitters, ... |
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| Arc Rate Simulation and Flight Data Analysis for the PASP Plus Experiment |
01 SEP 95 |
284 pages |
| Authors:
James D. Soldi Jr.; Daniel E. Hastings; MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH CAMBRIDGE SPACE PROPULSION LAB
|
| As power demands continue to increase, spacecraft power systems are being designed to operate at higher voltages. When operating at high negative voltages, however, arcing may occur on the solar cells. In this work, a model of the arcing process developed by Cho and Hastings was refined to be more physically accurate and to better simulate experiment operations. The modified computer simulation was then used to predict the arcing rates ... |
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| Arcing Predictions for PASP PLUS Solar Arrays |
02 AUG 94 |
49 pages |
| Authors:
James D. Soldi Jr.; Daniel E. Hastings; MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH CAMBRIDGE SPACE PROPULSION LAB
|
| Future solar arrays are being designed for much higher voltages in order to meet high power demands at low currents. Unfortunately, negatively biased high voltage solar arrays have been observed to arc when exposed to the low earth orbit plasma environment. In previous work, analytical and numerical models of this arcing phenomenon on conventional solar cells have been developed which show excellent agreement with experimental data. The analytical model has ... |
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| Arcing Mitigation and Predictions for High Voltage Solar Arrays |
26 JUL 94 |
81 pages |
| Authors:
Renee L. Mong; James D. Soldi Jr.; Daniel E. Hastings; MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH CAMBRIDGE SPACE PROPULSION LAB
|
| Future solar arrays are being designed for much higher voltages in order to meet high power demands at low currents. Unfortunately, negatively biased high voltage solar cells have been observed to arc when exposed to the low earth orbit plasma environment. Analytical and numerical models of this arcing phenomenon on conventional solar cells have been developed which show excellent agreement with experimental data. With an understanding of a mechanism for ... |
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| Fundamental Mechanisms of Nonequilibrium MFD Lasing Phenomena. |
APR 1975 |
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| Authors:
Jack L. Kerrebrock; Albert Solbes; MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH CAMBRIDGE SPACE PROPULSION LAB
|
 | The fundamental mechanisms and feasibility of MHD lasers are addressed in this program, which includes experimental studies of plasma properties by a pulsed technique which simulates the flow in the MHD laser by a temporal transient, and modeling analyses for performance evaluation. A wide range of gas mixtures, electric and magnetic fields, can be selected, and since the plasma is contained in a simple quartz chamber, diagnostics are easier than ... |
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| Research on Charged Alkali Colloids for Aerospace Vehicle and Ground Based Power Generation. |
JAN 1975 |
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| Authors:
Albert Solbes; Manuel Martinez; MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH CAMBRIDGE SPACE PROPULSION LAB
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| Results of the study of the fundamental physical processes and measurement of properties aimed at predicting the performance of two fluid liquid metal vapor EFD converters are presented. The condensation studies indicate that substantial alkali boiler concentrations (30% cesium) are required to produce appreciable homogeneous nucleation in alkali amalgam vapors. The case of heterogeneous condensation about ions is also studied. The results of breakdown studies for amalgam vapor mixtures with ... |
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| Heat Transfer and Containment Process in Two Phase Cavity Nuclear Reactor. |
FEB 1974 |
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| Authors:
D. B. Stickler; H. Lakshmikantha; W. S. Lewellen; MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH CAMBRIDGE SPACE PROPULSION LAB
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| Experimental study of liquid containment and heat transfer rates in a gas driven confined vortex is performed with reference to desired operating conditions for a liquid core nuclear rocket. Simple methods of containment and transport processes are used to scale the data to a predicted performance capability of a nominal 20,000 pound thrust, 1200 second specific impulse system. Molten fuel containment, as a two phase zone on the cylindrical cavity ... |
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| Research on MHD Lasers. |
MAR 1972 |
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| Authors:
Jack L. Kerrebrock; MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH CAMBRIDGE SPACE PROPULSION LAB
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| A summary is presented of progress in a study of nonequilibrium generators, with emphasis on the vibrational excitation of molecular species. Experimental work on a large generator includes development of a coaxial preionizer and development of slanted electrode walls, both of which increase the power density of the generator. A pulsed analogue of an MHD laser has been constructed and operated providing data on the importance of CO2 dissociation in ... |
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| Research on Nonequilibrium MHD Generators |
JUL 1971 |
54 pages |
| Authors:
J. L. Kerrebrock; MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH CAMBRIDGE SPACE PROPULSION LAB
|
| A summary is presented of progress in a study of nonequilibrium generators, with emphasis on the vibrational excitation of molecular species. Experimental work on a large generator includes development of a coaxial preionizer and development of slanted electrode walls, both of which increase the power density of the generator. A three-dimensional analysis of the slanted electrode wall is also given. Finally a preliminary report is given of experimental and theoretical ... |
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