Fast Interplanetary Missions with Low-thrust Propulsion Systems

Download or read book Fast Interplanetary Missions with Low-thrust Propulsion Systems written by W. E. Moeckel and published by . This book was released on 1961 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A simple family of indirect-transfer trajectories between circular orbits is used to evaluate the mass ratio required to complete round-trip interplanetary missions using low-thrust propulsion systems. These trajectories, although not optimum, yielded very substantial reductions in total round-trip time for Mars missions with moderate increases in initial weight. For a powerplant specific weight [alpha] of 10 pounds per kilowatt of jet power, trip times were reduced from 1200 to 600 days, for a typical manned mission, with an initial weight increase of a factor of two. Comparison with a nuclear rocket with 1000-second specific impulse indicated that the electric-propulsion system required less initial weight for trip times as low as 550 days with [alpha]=10 and as low at 400 days with [alpha]=5 pounds per kilowatt. Further weight reductions would be expected with more nearly optimum trajectories.