Investigation of nuclear electric powered interstellar precursor missions

Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) is a technology conceptually proposed since the 1940s by E. Stuhlinger in Germany. The JIMO mission originally planned by NASA in the early 2000s produced at least two designs of ion thrusters fed by a 20–30 kW nuclear powerplant. When compared to conventional (chemical) propulsion, the major advantage of NEP in the JIMO context was recognized to be the much higher I_sp (lab-tested at up to 15,000 s) and the capability for sustained power generation, up to 8–10 years when derated to I_sp about 8000 s.The goal of this paper is to show that current or near term NEP technology enables missions far beyond our immediate interplanetary backyard. In fact, by extending the semi-analytical approach used by Stuhlinger, with reasonable ratios α≡power/mass of the propulsion system (i.e., 0.1– 0.4 kW/kg), missions to the Kuiper Belt (40 AU and beyond) and even the so-called FOCAL mission (at 540 AU) become feasible with an attractive payload fraction and in times of order 10–15 years.Further results regarding missions to Sedna’s perihelion/aphelion, and to Oort’s cloud will also be presented, showing the constraints affecting their feasibility and mass budget.     

Thrust measurement of dimethyl ether arcjet thruster

The present paper describes thrust measurement results for an arcjet thruster using Dimethyl ether (DME) as the propellant. DME is an ether compound and can be stored as a liquid due to its relatively low freezing point and preferable vapor pressure. The thruster successfully produced high-voltage mode at DME mass flow rates above 30 mg/s, whereas it yielded low-voltage mode below 30 mg/s. Thrust measurements yielded a thrust of 0.15 N and a specific impulse of 270 s at a mass flow rate of 60 mg/s with a discharge power of 1300 W. The DME arcjet thruster was comparable to a conventional one for thrust and discharge power.     

On the capabilities of nano electrokinetic thrusters for space propulsion

A theoretical analysis considering the capabilities of nano electrokinetic thrusters for space propulsion is presented. The work describes an electro-hydro-dynamic model of the electrokinetic flow in nano-channels and represents the first attempt to exploit the advantages of the electrokinetic effect as the basis for a new class of nano-scale thrusters suitable for space propulsion. Among such advantages are their small volume, fundamental simplicity, overall low mass, and actuation efficiency. Their electrokinetic efficiency is affected by the slip length, surface charge, pH and molarity. These design variables are analyzed and optimized for the highest electrokinetic performance inside nano-channels. The optimization is done for power consumption, thrust and specific impulse resulting in high theoretical efficiency ∼99% with corresponding high thrust-to-power ratios. Performance curves are obtained for the electrokinetic design variables showing that high molarity electrolytes lead to high thrust and specific impulse values, whereas low molarities provide highest thrust-to-power ratios and efficiencies. A theoretically designed 100 nm wide by 1 μm long emitter optimized using the ideal performance charts developed would deliver thrusts from 5 to 43 μN, specific impulse from 60 to 210 s, and would have power consumption between 1–15 mW. It should be noted that although this is a detail analytical analysis no prototypes exist and any future experimental work will face challenges that could affect the final performance. By designing an array composed of thousands of these single electrokinetic emitters, it would result in a flexible and scalable propulsion system capable of providing a wide range of thrust control for different mission scenarios and maintaining very high efficiencies and thrust-to-power ratio by varying the number of emitters in use at any one time.     

Endurance testing of a pulsed plasma thruster for nanosatellites

The mission complexity of Nanosatellites has increased tremendously in recent years, but their mission range is limited due to the lack of an active orbit control or ∆v capability. Pulsed Plasma Thrusters (PPT), featuring structural simplicity and very low power consumption are a prime candidate for such applications. However, the required miniaturization of standard PPTs and the adaption to the low power consumption is not straightforward. Most investigated systems have failed to show the required lifetime. The present coaxial design has shown a lifetime of up to 1 million discharges at discharge energies of 1.8 J in previous studies. The present paper focuses on performance characterizations of this design. For this purpose direct thrust measurements with a µN thrust balance were conducted. Thrust measurements in conjunction with mass bit determination allowed a comprehensive assessment. Based on those measurements the present µPPT has a total impulses capability of approximately I≈1.7 Ns, an average mass bit of 0.37 µg s⁻¹ and an average specific impulse of I_sp≈904 s. All tests have shown very good EM compatibility of the PPT with the electronics of the flight-like printed circuit board. Consequently, a complete µPPT unit can provide a ∆v change of 5.1 m/s or 2.6 m/s to a standard 1-unit or 2-unit CubeSat respectively.     

Venus surface power and cooling systems

A mission to the surface of Venus would have high scientific value, but most electronic devices and sensors cannot operate at the 450 °C ambient surface temperature of Venus. Power and cooling systems were analyzed for Venus surface operation. A radioisotope power and cooling system was designed to provide electrical power for a probe operating on the surface of Venus. For a mission duration of substantial length, the use of thermal mass to maintain an operable temperature range is likely impractical, and active refrigeration may be required to keep components at a temperature below ambient. Due to the high thermal convection of the high-density atmosphere, the heat rejection temperature was assumed to be at a 500 °C radiator temperature, 50 °C above ambient. The radioisotope Stirling power converter designed produces a thermodynamic power output capacity of 478.1 W, with a cooling power of 100 W. The overall efficiency is calculated to be 23.36%. The mass of the power converter is estimated at approximately 21.6 kg.     

Launch and early operations of Herschel and Planck

On 14 May 2009 the European Space Agency launched 2 space observatories: Herschel (with a 3.5 m mirror it is the largest space telescope ever) will collect long-wavelength infrared radiation and will be the only space observatory to cover the spectral range from far-infrared to sub-millimetre wavelengths, and Planck will look back at the dawn of time, close to the Big Bang, and will examine the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation to a sensitivity, angular resolution and frequency range never achieved before. This paper will present the Flight Dynamics, mission analysis challenges and flight results from the first 3 months of these missions.Both satellites were launched on the same Ariane 5 and travelled to the L2 Lagrange point of the sun–earth system 1.5 million km from the earth in the opposite direction of the sun. There they were injected to a quasi-halo orbit (Herschel) with the dimension of typically 750,000 km×450,000 km, and a Lissajous orbit (Planck) of 300,000 km×300,000 km.In order to reach these Lissajous orbits it is mandatory to perform large trajectory correction manoeuvres during the first days of the mission. Herschel had its main manoeuvres on the first day. Planck had to be navigated on the first day and by a mid-course correction manoeuvre, the L2 orbit insertion manoeuvre was planned on day 50. If these slots were missed, fuel penalties would rapidly increase.This posed a heavy load on the operations teams because both spacecrafts have to be thoroughly checked out and put into the correct modes of their attitude control systems during the first hours after launch.The sequence of events will be presented and explained and the orbit determination results as well as the manoeuvre planning will be emphasised.     

Post mission life plan for FORMOSAT-2

This paper presents the enhancement in mission operations, the mission life state-of-health (SOH) trending analysis, and the post mission life plan of the FORMOSAT-2 (or FS2, Formosa satellite #2, was called ROCSAT-2, or RS2, Republic of China satellite #2, previously) during its five years mission life from 20 May 2004 to 20 May 2009. There are two payloads onboard FS2: a remote sensing instrument (RSI) with nadir ground sampling distance (GSD) of 2 m for panchromatic (PAN) and GSD of 8 m for multi-spectral (MS, 4 bands) as the primary payload, and an imager for sprite and upper atmospheric lightning (ISUAL) as the secondary payload. It was launched on 20 May 2004. The design life is 7 years while the mission life is 5 years. In other words, the end of mission life date of FS2 is 20 May 2009. Generally speaking, FS2 is still at very good condition in its SOH. Post mission life plan for FS2 consists of: the practice of orbit transfer for global coverage and better resolution, the development of gyroless attitude control, and the method for life extension. It is expected that the working life of FS2 can be extended 3–5 years.     

Landing on small bodies: From the Rosetta Lander to MASCOT and beyond

Recent planning for science and exploration missions has emphasized the high interest in the close investigation of small bodies in the Solar System. In particular in-situ observations of asteroids and comets play an important role in this field and will contribute substantially to our understanding of the formation and history of the Solar System.The first dedicated comet Lander is Philae, an element of ESA's Rosetta mission to comet 67/P Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Rosetta was launched in 2004. After more than 7 years of cruise (including three Earth and one Mars swing-by as well as two asteroid flybys) the spacecraft has gone into a deep space hibernation in June 2011. When approaching the target comet in early 2014, Rosetta will be re-activated. The cometary nucleus will be characterized remotely to prepare for Lander delivery, currently foreseen for November 2014.The Rosetta Lander was developed and manufactured, similar to a scientific instrument, by a consortium consisting of international partners. Project management is located at DLR in Cologne/Germany, with co-project managers at CNES (France) and ASI (Italy). The scientific lead is at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Science (Lindau, Germany) and the Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (Paris).Mainly scientific institutes provided the subsystems, instruments and the complete, qualified lander system. Operations are performed in two dedicated centers, the Lander Control Center (LCC) at DLR-MUSC and the Science Operations and Navigation Center (SONC) at CNES. This concept was adopted to reduce overall cost of the project and is foreseen also to be applied for development and operations of future small bodies landers.A mission profiting from experience gained during Philae development and operations is MASCOT, a surface package for the Japanese Hayabusa 2 mission. MASCOT is a small (∼10 kg) mobile device, delivered to the surface of asteroid 1999JU3. There it will operate for about 16 h. During this time a camera, a magnetometer, a thermal monitor and an IR analytical instrument will provide ground truth and thus will even be able to support the selection of possible sampling sites for the main spacecraft.MASCOT is a flexible design that can be adapted to a wide range of missions and possible target bodies. Also the payload is flexible to some extent (with an overall mass in the 3 kg range). For example, the surface package is part of the optional strawman payload for MarcoPolo-R, a European asteroid sample return mission, proposed for ESA Cosmic Vision M-class.     

SLUCUBE: Innovative high performance nanosatellite science and technology demonstration mission

The Space Systems Research Laboratory (SSRL) at Saint Louis University is developing SLUCUBE nanosatellite as part of the space mission design program. The objective of the mission is to demonstrate space capability of high performance nanosatellite components that has been developed at SSRL for the past three years. The objective of the program is to provide extremely low-cost and rapid access to space for scientists and commercial exploitation using commercial-off-the-shelf components. SLUCUBE is a double CubeSat with dimensions 10×10×20 cm and a mass of 2 kg. This nanosatellite features suite of technology demonstration components to enlarge the capability of space mission for such class of spacecrafts. The primary mission of SLUCUBE is to test and demonstrate several enabling technologies by flying a number of university developed high performance components. This paper describes the new developed technologies by providing details of specific components developed along with the R&D efforts and laboratory facilities. A brief discussion about the student involvement and educational benefits will also be presented.     

PANIC – A surface science package for the in situ characterization of a near-Earth asteroid

This paper presents the results of a mission concept study for an autonomous micro-scale surface lander also referred to as PANIC – the Pico Autonomous Near-Earth Asteroid In Situ Characterizer. The lander is based on the shape of a regular tetrahedron with an edge length of 35 cm, has a total mass of approximately 12 kg and utilizes hopping as a locomotion mechanism in microgravity. PANIC houses four scientific instruments in its proposed baseline configuration which enable the in situ characterization of an asteroid. It is carried by an interplanetary probe to its target and released to the surface after rendezvous. Detailed estimates of all critical subsystem parameters were derived to demonstrate the feasibility of this concept. The study illustrates that a small, simple landing element is a viable alternative to complex traditional lander concepts, adding a significant science return to any near-Earth asteroid (NEA) mission while meeting tight mass budget constraints.     

Super-capacitor energy storage for micro-satellites: Feasibility and potential mission applications

Small satellites, weighting between 100 and 200 kg, have witnessed increasing use for a variety of space applications including remote sensing constellations and technology demonstrations. The energy storage/stored power demands of most spacecraft, including small satellites, are currently accommodated by rechargeable batteries—typically nickel–cadmium cells (specific energy of 50 Wh kg⁻¹), or more recently lithium-ion cells (150 Wh kg⁻¹). High energy density is a primary concern for spacecraft energy storage design, and these batteries have been sufficient for most applications. However, constraints on the allowable on-board battery size have limited peak power performance such that the maximum power supply capability of small satellites currently ranges between only 70 and 200 W. This relatively low maximum power limits the capabilities of small satellites in terms of payload design and selection. In order to enhance these satellites' power performance, the research reported in this paper focused on the implementation of super-capacitors as practical rechargeable energy storage medium, and as an alternative to chemical batteries. Compared to batteries, some super-capacitors are able to supply high power at high energy-efficiency, but unfortunately they still have a very low energy density (5–30 Wh kg⁻¹). However, the provision of this high power capability would considerably widen the range of small satellite applications.     

Project Icarus: Optimisation of nuclear fusion propulsion for interstellar missions

The Daedalus spacecraft design was a two-stage configuration carrying 50,000 tonnes of DHe³ propellant. Daedalus was powered by electron driven Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) to implode the pellets at a frequency of 250 Hz. The mission was to Barnard's star 5.9 light years away in a duration of around 50 years. This paper is related to the successor Project Icarus, a theoretical engineering design study that began on 30 September 2009 and is a joint initiative between the Tau Zero Foundation and The British Interplanetary Society. In the first part of this paper, we explore ‘flyby’ variations on the Daedalus propellant utilisation for two different mission targets: Barnard's star and Epsilon Eridani, 10.7 light years away. With a fixed propellant mass a number of staged configurations (1–4) are derived for an optimal configuration but then moving to an off-optimal configuration due to the requirement for a high final science payload mass. Some comments are then made on the ICF pellet configuration compared to the typical pellets fielded at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and those proposed for the Vista and Longshot fusion based propulsion designs. This is a working progress report, which aims to study perturbations of the Daedalus baseline design as part of a trade study. This is a submission of the Project Icarus Study Group.     

MOA2—an R&D paradigm buster enabling space propulsion by commercial applications

More than 60 years after the late Nobel laureate Hannes Alfvén had published a letter stating that oscillating magnetic fields can accelerate ionised matter via magneto–hydrodynamic interactions in a wave like fashion, the technical implementation of Alfvén waves for propulsive purposes has been proposed, patented and examined for the first time by a group of inventors.Consequently improved since then, the name of the latest concept, relying on magneto-acoustic waves to accelerate electric conductive matter, is MOA²—Magnetic field Oscillating Amplified Accelerator. Based on computer simulations, which were undertaken to get a first estimate on the performance of the system, MOA² is a corrosion free and highly flexible propulsion system, whose performance parameters might easily be adapted in operation, by changing the mass flow and/or the power level. As such the system is capable of delivering a maximum specific impulse of 13116 s (12.87 mN) at a power level of 11.16 kW, using Xe as propellant, but can also be attuned to provide a thrust of 236.5 mN (2411 s) at 6.15 kW of power. First tests—that are further described in this paper—have been conducted successfully with a 400 W prototype system at an ambient pressure of 0.20 Pa, delivered 9.24 mN of thrust at 1472 s I_SP, thereby underlining the feasibility of the concept.Based on these results, space propulsion is expected to be a prime application for MOA²—a claim that is supported by numerous applications such as Solar and/or Nuclear Electric Propulsion or even as an ‘afterburner system’ for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion. However, MOA² has so far seen most of its R&D impetus from terrestrial applications, like coating, semiconductor implantation and manufacturing as well as steel cutting. Based on this observation, MOA² resembles an R&D paradigm buster, as it is the first space propulsion system, whose R&D is driven primarily by its terrestrial applications. Different terrestrial applications exist, but the most successful scenarios so far revolve around MOA²'s unique features with respect to high throughput/low target temperature coatings on sensitive materials. In combination with its intrinsic high flexibility, MOA² is highly suited for a common space-terrestrial application research and utilisation strategy.This paper presents the recent developments of the MOA² R&D activities at Q₂ Technologie(s), the company in Vienna, Austria, which has been set up to further develop and test the magneto-acoustic wave technology and its applications.     

Development and evaluation of bioregenerative menus for Mars habitat missions

Two 10-day menus were developed in preparation for a Mars habitat mission. The first was built on the assumption, as in previous menu development efforts for closed ecological systems, that the food system would be vegetarian, whereas the second menu introduced shelf-stable, prepackaged meat and entrée items from the current International Space Station (ISS) food system. Both menus delivered an average of 3000 cal daily but the macronutrient proportions resulted in an excess of carbohydrates and dietary fiber per mission nutritional recommendations. Generally, the individual recipes comprising both menus were deemed acceptable by internal sensory panel (average overall acceptability=7.4). The incorporation of existing ISS entrée items did not have a significant effect on the acceptability of the menus. In a final comparison, the food system upmass, or the amount of food that is shipped from the Earth, increased by 297 kg with the addition of prepackaged entrées to the menu. However, the addition of the shipped massed was counterbalanced by a 864 kg reduction in required crops. A further comparison of the crew time required for meal preparation and farming, food system power requirements, and food processing equipment mass is recommended to definitively distinguish the menus.     

Radiation engineering analysis of shielding materials to assess their ability to protect astronauts in deep space from energetic particle radiation

An analysis is performed on four typical materials (aluminum, liquid hydrogen, polyethylene, and water) to assess their impact on the length of time an astronaut can stay in deep space and not exceed a design basis radiation exposure of 150 mSv. A large number of heavy lift launches of pure shielding mass are needed to enable long duration, deep space missions to keep astronauts at or below the exposure value with shielding provided by the vehicle. Therefore, vehicle mass using the assumptions in the paper cannot be the sole shielding mechanism for long duration, deep space missions. As an example, to enable the Mars Design Reference Mission 5.0 with a 400 day transit to and from Mars, not including the 500 day stay on the surface, a minimum of 24 heavy lift launches of polyethylene at 89,375 lbm (40.54 tonnes) each are needed for the 1977 galactic cosmic ray environment. With the assumptions used in this paper, a single heavy lift launch of water or polyethylene can protect astronauts for a 130 day mission before exceeding the exposure value. Liquid hydrogen can only protect the astronauts for 160 days. Even a single launch of pure shielding material cannot protect an astronaut in deep space for more than 180 days using the assumptions adopted in the analysis. It is shown that liquid hydrogen is not the best shielding material for the same mass as polyethylene for missions that last longer than 225 days.     

Io Volcano Observer (IVO): Budget travel to the outer Solar System

The IVO mission would make multiple close encounters with Io while orbiting Jupiter in an inclined elliptical orbit. The payload includes narrow-angle and wide-angle cameras (NAC and WAC), dual fluxgate magnetometers (FGM), a thermal mapper (ThM), dual ion and neutral mass spectrometers (INMS), and dual plasma ion analyzers (PIA). The mission is designed to answer key outstanding questions about Io, especially the nature of the intense active volcanism and internal processes that drive the volcanism. IVO can collect and return 20 Gb of compressed science data per Io encounter, 100 times the total Io data return from the 8yr Galileo tour.     

Design and on-orbit performance of the attitude determination and control system for the ZDPS-1A pico-satellite

The ZDPS-1A pico-satellite, developed by the Zhejiang University, is featured with a three-axis stabilizing capability. It is 15×15×15 cm³ cube-shaped satellite with a total mass of 3.5 kg. ZDPS-1A is the first pico-satellite that has been launched successfully in China. The mission of ZDPS-1A is on-orbit system verification of student-build pico-satellite and wide range earth observation with a micro panoramic camera. A miniature momentum wheel is employed to offer gyro stiffness stability in the pitch (orbit normal) axis. Magnetic coils are employed to generate control torques to achieve the three-axis stabilization of nadir-pointing. The attitude sensors employed in the design include two three-axis magnetometers (TAMs), a three-axis gyro, and two sun sensors. Both ground simulations and on-orbit testing are conducted to verify the feasibility of the given attitude determination and control system (ADCS).     

Rosetta visits asteroid (21)Lutetia

The International Rosetta Mission, cornerstone of the European Space Agency Scientific Programme, was launched on 2nd March 2004 to its 10 years journey to comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Rosetta will reach the comet in summer 2014, orbit it for about 1.5 years down to distances of a few Kilometres and deliver the Lander Philae onto its surface. After its successful asteroid fly-by in September 2008, Rosetta came back to Earth, for the final gravity acceleration towards its longest heliocentric orbit, up to a distance of 5.3 AU. It is during this phase that Rosetta crossed for the second time the main asteroids belt and performed a close encounter with asteroid (21)Lutetia on the 10th of July 2010 at a distance of ca. 3160 km and a relative velocity of 15 km/s. The payload complement of the spacecraft was activated to perform highly valuable scientific observations. The approach phase to the celestial body required a careful and accurate optical navigation campaign that will prove to be useful also for the comet approach phase. The experience gained with first asteroid flyby in 2008 was fed back into the operations definition and preparation for this highly critical phase; this concerns in particular the operations of the navigation camera for the close-loop autonomous asteroid tracking and of the main scientific camera for high resolution imaging. It was shortly after the flyby that Rosetta became the solar-powered spacecraft to have flown furthest from the Sun (>2.72 AU). This paper presents the activities carried out and planned for the definition, preparation and implementation of the asteroid flyby mission operations, including the test campaign conducted to improve the performance of the spacecraft and payload compared to the previous flyby. The results of the flyby itself are presented, with the operations implemented, the achieved performance and the lessons learned.     

Rotational and translational integrated control for Inner-formation Gravity Measurement Satellite System

Inner-Formation Gravity Measurement Satellite System (IFGMSS) is used to explore the Earth gravity using two satellites in an inner-formation flying mode. To fulfill the mission, relative position of the two satellites is required to be zeroed and attitude of the outer satellite should be stabilized in real-time. This paper proposed an integrated control scheme for the IFGMSS, and the main idea is to use only thrusters to control the relative position and attitude. The integrated control loop contains a control law's module and a control allocation law's module. The control law based on the feedback linearization method makes nonlinear dynamics counteracted and uses PD control law to reformulate the dynamics into a linear form. The integrated control allocation law is designed to assign the commanded control force and moment to each thruster dynamically. We transfer the control allocation problem into a linear programming (LP) problem and use the Optimal Theory to calculate the corresponding thrust of each thruster. Finally, an IFGMSS mission is simulated, where the two satellites fly in a circle orbit with a 300 km's altitude. Results using the integrated control scheme and the traditional separated control scheme are compared and analyzed. It has been found that the integrated control scheme is superior to the separated control scheme in output ability, level of redundancy and fuel cost.     

Effects of stand-off bursts on rubble-pile targets: Evaluation of a hazardous asteroid mitigation strategy

We explore the aftereffects of stand-off burst mitigation on kilometer-scale rubble pile asteroids. We use a simple model of X-ray energy deposition to calculate the impulse transferred to the target, in particular to burst-facing blocks on the target surface. The impulse allows us to estimate an initial velocity field for the blocks on the outer side of the target facing the burst. We model the dynamics using an N-body polyhedron program built on the Open Dynamics Engine, a “physics engine” that integrates the dynamical equations for objects of general shapes and includes collision detection, friction, and dissipation.We tested several different models for target objects: rubble piles with different mass distributions, a “brick-pile” made of closely fitting blocks and zero void space, and a non-spherical “contact binary” rubble pile. Objects were bound together by self-gravity and friction/inelastic restitution with no other cohesive forces. Our fiducial cases involved objects of m=3.5×10¹² kg (corresponding to a radius of 0.7 km for the bulk object), an X-ray yield of 1 megaton, and stand-off burst distances of R=0.8–2.5 km from the target center of mass.Kilometer-scale rubble piles are robust to stand-off bursts of a yield ($Y\sim 1$ megaton) that would be sufficient to provide an effective velocity change ($\mathrm{\Delta }v\sim 0.05\mathrm{m}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$). Disaggregation involving some tens of percent of the target mass happens immediately after the impulse; the bulk of the object re-accretes on a few gravitational timescales, and the final deflected target contains over 95% (typically, 98–99%) of the original mass. Off-center components of the mitigation impulse and the target mass distribution cause a small amount of induced spin and off-axis components of velocity change. The off-axis velocity component amounts to an angular deviation of $\sim$ 0.05–0.1 radians from the nominal impulse vector, which may be important for mitigation planning.