Pluto Orbiter/lander and sample return missions are not impossible using chemical propulsion, but are possible with nuclear thermal propulsion. Using the MITEE nuclear engine, a spacecraft could first orbit Pluto, mapping it, and then land at a selected site, 12 years after the departure form Earth. If surface water/ice is available, fresh H/sub 2/ propellant could be manufactured by electrolysis of melt H/sub 2/O using power from the bi-modal nuclear engine, enabling multiple hops to new sites for further data collection. A warm water probe could also be deployed to explore the interior of Pluto's ice sheets. After completing exploration, the spacecraft could return samples from Pluto to Earth with a 12-year trip time. Mission architectures and the design of the spacecraft, nuclear propulsion engine, propellant manufacturing unit and warm water probe are described herein.
Pluto Orbiter/lander/sample return missions using the MITEE nuclear engine
2003 IEEE Aerospace Conference Proceedings (Cat. No.03TH8652) ; 1 ; 1-489 vol.1
2003-01-01
1793511 byte
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
2.0601 Pluto Orbiter/Lander/Sample Return Missions Using the MITEE Nuclear Engine
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