Solar electric propulsion spacecraft have been proposed for a variety of future missions. These spacecraft are characterized by large solar array wings and ion thrusters. In this study the NASA Charging Analyzer Program (NASCAP) is use to conduct preliminary computations of the voltage distributions around such large spacecraft in geomagnetic substorm environments at geosynchronous altitudes. Both thruster-off simulations and simulated thruster-on conditions are evaluated for a direct drive configuration. These simulated thruster operations appear to alleviate surface charging.
Computed voltage distributions around solar electric propulsion spacecraft
Berechnung der Spannungsverteilung um ein Raumfahrzeug mit solarelektrischem Antrieb
1981
15 Seiten, 9 Bilder, 29 Quellen
Conference paper
English