The advantages of using electric propulsion for propulsion are well-known in the aerospace community. The high specific impulse, lower propellant requirements, and lower system mass make it a very attractive propulsion option for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI), especially for the transport of cargo. One such propulsion system is the PEGASUS Drive (Coomes et al. 1987). In its original configuration, the PEGASUS Drive consisted of a 10-MWe power source coupled to a 6-MW magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster system. The PEGASUS Drive propelled a manned vehicle to Mars and back in 601 days. By removing the crew and their associated support systems from the spacecraft and by incorporating technology advances in reactor design and heat rejection systems, a second generation PEGASUS Drive can be developed with an alpha less than two. Utilizing this propulsion system, a 400-MT cargo vehicle, assembled and loaded in low Earth orbit (LEO), could deliver 262 MT of supplies and hardware to Mars 282 days after escaping Earth orbit. Upon arrival at Mars the transport vehicle would place its cargo in the desired parking orbit around Mars and then proceed to synchronous orbit above the desired landing sight. Using a laser transmitter, PEGASUS would provide 2-MWe on the surface to operate automated systems deployed earlier and then provide surface power to support crew activities after their arrival. The additional supplies and hardware, coupled with the availability of megawatt levels of electric power on the Mars surface, would greatly enhance and even expand the mission options being considered under SEI. 9 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.


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    Titel :

    PEGASUS Drive: A nuclear electric propulsion system for the space exploration initiative


    Beteiligte:
    E. P. Coomes (Autor:in) / J. E. Dagle (Autor:in)

    Erscheinungsdatum :

    1990


    Format / Umfang :

    17 pages


    Medientyp :

    Report


    Format :

    Keine Angabe


    Sprache :

    Englisch






    The pegasus drive: A multi-megawatt nuclear electric propulsion system

    Coomes, E.P. / King, D.Q. / Cuta, J.M. et al. | Tema Archiv | 1987


    The Pegasus drive - A multi-megawatt nuclear electric propulsion system

    Coomes, E. P. / Cuta, J. M. / Webb, B. J. et al. | NTRS | 1986


    The PEGASUS drive: A multi-megawatt nuclear electric propulsion system

    Coomes, E.P. / King, D.Q. / Cuta, J.M. et al. | Tema Archiv | 1986