The report presents an evaluation of electric propulsion systems capable of providing thrust to counteract drag action on a certain satellite in a low earth orbit. The orbit maintenance system is required to produce an average thrust of 1.6 fixed mass pounds over a mission duration of up to 2 years. Five candidate systems were studied, they include: a cesium bombardment ionization thruster, a mercury bombardment ionization thruster, a colloid thruster, a hydrazine resistojet, and, as a standard of comparison, a monopropellant hydrazine thruster (not electric). These propulsion devices were evaluated for two spacecraft configurations, one with a solar cell/battery power system, and the other with a reactor/thermoelectric power system. The preferred system for either spacecraft configuration is the monopropellant hydrazine system because of its low cost and because such a system is already included on the spacecraft for orbit insertion. (Author)
An Evaluation of Electric and Hydrazine Propulsion Systems for Orbit Maintenance
1971
141 pages
Report
Keine Angabe
Englisch
Electric & Ion Propulsion , Spacecraft Trajectories & Flight Mechanics , Thrust vector control systems , Electric propulsion , Low-orbit trajectories , Satellites(Artificial) , Maintenance , Feasibility studies , Ion engines , Plasma engines , Monopropellants , Hydrazine , Electron bombardment , Specific impulse , Stationkeeping , Titan 3 , Evaluation
Hydrazine Propulsion Systems with a Micropump
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2000
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