This report summarizes the results of an evaluation of a variety of advanced low thrust propulsion options for the cargo-delivery portion of a split-mission piloted Mars exploration scenario. The propulsion options considered were solar sails. 100-MWe class nuclear electric propulsion (NEP), 100-WEe class solar electric propulsion (SEP), magnetic sails (magsails), mass drivers, rail guns, solar thermal rockets. beamed-energy (laser and microwave) propulsion systems, and tethers. The requirement was to transport 400 metric tons (MT) of cargo from a 500-km altitude low Earth orbit (LEO) to a 6000-km altitude Mars orbit (e.g., Phobos’ orbit) for the 2014 opportunity. The primary figures of meri usedt in this study were total initial mass in low Earth orbit (IMLEO) and the Earth-to-Mars trip time.
This post was published on March 7, 2019 7:13 pm
Newly obtained Secret Service records continue to shed light on the numerous biting incidents involving…
The Department of Defense (DoD) has released a set of heavily redacted emails in response…
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) response has raised new questions about a widely circulated…
In March 2024, the Department of Defense (DoD) published publicly its Report on the Historical…
In September 2024, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was filed with NASA seeking…
Background Welcome to the FBI Files on Historical Figures & Groups archive at The Black…