The high fuel efficiency of electric propulsion makes it a viable alternative for long-distance space travel. Project Prometheus was a NASA-led project that sought to demonstrate that distant electric propulsion missions were achievable by planning an expedition to characterize the Jovian moons of Jupiter. Several requirements were estimated for the electric propulsion system to allow this mission to happen under the budget and technological constraints of the time. Although the mission was terminated early in 2005, many of the design choices during Project Prometheus have affected future long-distance electric propulsion missions. In this thesis the design choices in response to the given constraints in the electric propulsion system are analyzed and evaluated. More specifically, the areas explored include the restriction in the the amount of propellant mass, the choice of propellant used, the specific impulse and power of the thrusters, and the lifetime of the thrusters.


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    Title :

    Nuclear electric propulsion : assessing the design of Project Prometheus.


    Contributors:

    Publication date :

    2013


    Size :

    26 pages


    Remarks:

    Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2013.
    "Author: Martin Goycoolea"--title-page. "June 2013." Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
    Includes bibliographical references (page 26).


    Type of media :

    Theses


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English





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