Lunar Robotic Precursor Missions Using Electric Propulsion

A trade study is carried out for the design of electric propulsion based lunar robotic precursor missions. The focus is to understand the relationships between payload mass delivered, electric propulsion power, and trip time. The results are compared against a baseline system using chemical propulsion with LOX/H2. The major differences between the chemical propulsion based and electric propulsion based systems are presented in terms of the payload mass and trip time. It is shown that solar electric propulsion offers significant advantage over chemical propulsion in delivering non-time critical payloads to lunar orbit.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Aerospace and Ocean Engineering

Department dc:contributor.department

Aerospace and Ocean Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Winski, Richard G.

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Wang, Joseph J.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Grossman, Bernard M.
• Moses, Robert

• Lunar precursor
• electric propulsion direct drive

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

etd-12112006-151141

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/36063