During the Electric Propulsion Space Experiment (ESEX) mission, eight firings of the 26 kW ammonia arcjet were performed. Data taken from on-board systems, GPS and ground tracking during these firings are used to determine thruster performance. The on-board Servo Accelerometer Assembly (SAA) measured spacecraft acceleration. The mean values of thrust, specific impulse and thrust efficiency are 1.93 +/- 0.06 Newtons, 786.2 +/- 43.0 seconds and 0.267 +/- 0. 021, respectively. This measured performance is lower than expected based on ground test. The most likely cause of this discrepancy is onboard measurement error in discharge power due to a 6% drift in the power processing unit current shunt. At the corrected power, performance falls within the expected envelope.


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    Title :

    Refined Orbital Performance Measurements of the Air Force Electric Propulsion Space Experiment (ESEX) Ammonia Arcjet


    Contributors:
    J. M. Fife (author) / D. R. Bromaghim (author) / D. A. Chart (author) / W. A. Hoskins (author) / C. E. Vaughan (author)

    Publication date :

    2001


    Size :

    26 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English