…for deep-space propulsion.
We need to be shifting funds from new unneeded NASA rockets to things like this, if we really want to get beyond earth orbit.
10 thoughts on “Solar Electric Is Advancing”
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…for deep-space propulsion.
We need to be shifting funds from new unneeded NASA rockets to things like this, if we really want to get beyond earth orbit.
Comments are closed.
Shifting funds is going to be very hard with politicians like Frank Wolf and John Culberson calling for multiyear funding cycles and 10-year appointments for NASA Administrators.
Congress seems determined to lock NASA into the world of go-slow development and stagnation rather than innovation.
More and more, the question is not whether humans will venture beyond Low Earth Orbit, or even how soon, but whether NASA will play any part in it.
We need to be shifting funds from new unneeded NASA rockets to things like this, if we really want to get beyond earth orbit.
Perhaps, but first we need to get funding for radically cheaper space launch. Existing SEP is fine for ~50kW tugs used for prepositioning propellant. If MSFC needs to work on something expensive, let them work on a nuclear reactor for NEP.
One thing which could be done would be to use several SEP space probes to scan the asteroids and map their resources. There are several studies of Mars missions using SEP. NEP is mostly interesting for deep space probes.
In my view the main missions of NASA at this point in time should be to search for exoplanets, map the resources in the inner solar system, develop new propulsion and ISRU technologies with demos in the Moon, the asteroids or Mars. The private sector has proven itself to be able to design and produce launch vehicles. NASA just needs to state their requirements and procure them.
One thing which could be done would be to use several SEP space probes to scan the asteroids and map their resources. There are several studies of Mars missions using SEP.
SEP is not really new technology. NASA is already using it on the Dawn mission to Vesta and Ceres.
Granted, that’s only one space probe, not “several.”
The real breakthrough is the development of ion engines that are small enough to fit into a CubeSat.
http://www.citizensinspace.org/2012/03/planetary-cubesats-are-catching-on/
Instead of “several” probes, I’d vote for “many.” Send CubeSats to 100 asteroids within the next 10 years.
Don’t forget DS-1.
And here i was thinking Rand was talking about solar flight. Incidentally, its advancing too and pretty fast, see http://blog.cafefoundation.org/
Boring. I wanna see solar-powered steam-engines; an Iron Horse for Outer Space!
I’m not sure how this is new? Hall thrusters have been reliable and off the shelf for quite a while. Boeing says they will have an operational 300kw SEP by 2020.
Caltech says it would take 800 m2 of solar cells.
The deal breaker seems to be that they don’t consider a separate fueling mission (39mt of xenon) and want a 100mt launch vehicle.
They’re talking solar concentrator and Brayton cycle generator instead of solar cells. I don’t have numbers for the power to weight ratio of either.
IMO, the really interesting part of this article is the first paragraph, which doesn’t mention SEP. What it does say is that NASA/HEOMD is still trying to figure out what it can afford to do on a very constrained budget. And, of course, saddled with the necessity of developing SLS. I await the results.