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NASA wants to cut travel time to Mars “in half” with new propulsion tech
Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 2:15 pm
by Sabre
Ars Tech
...
Aerojet Rocketdyne recently won a NASA contract to develop Hall effect ion thrusters. The main benefit of solar-electric propulsion (SEP) technologies such as ion thrusters is that the energy source (the Sun) lasts for a very long time, while liquid-fuelled rockets have a very finite duration. SEPs aren't quite ready to send humans to Mars, though. "The limiting power of this type of propulsion has been the power to drive it," Bolden said, according to Space.com's account of Bolden's visit to the Aerojet facility. "Aerojet Rocketdyne has partnered with different entities around the country in looking [at] how to get more energy density onto a solar cell. The more power we can get, the larger we can make the engine and its capability."
According to Space.com, Bolden also mentioned the possibility of using thermal nuclear rockets: rockets that use a nuclear reactor to heat gas, which then expands through the nozzle to create thrust. NASA did a lot of work on nuclear rockets with the NERVA program in the '50s and '60s, but it was eventually cancelled in 1972.
I'm all for them exploring different idea's
I still miss working at NASA
Re: NASA wants to cut travel time to Mars “in half” with new propulsion tech
Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 2:38 pm
by drwrx
I saw a prototype of the NERVA at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Silver Hill Facility.
It's very hard to get exact data on it's performance, but it really did sound like a great solution to long-term propulsion.
Re: NASA wants to cut travel time to Mars “in half” with new propulsion tech
Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 5:54 pm
by complacent
that is one crazy complicated roadmap.
Re: NASA wants to cut travel time to Mars “in half” with new propulsion tech
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 1:58 pm
by Sabre
The only specs I could find on NERVA are the following:
NERVA -1
highest power: 4500 megawatts thermal power
5,500°F exhaust temperature
250,000 pounds thrust
850 sec. of specific impulse
90 min. of burn time
thrust to weight ratios of 3 to 4
NERVA-2 specifications
diameter 10.55 m
length 43.69 m
weight 34,019 kg (empty)
178,321 kg (full)
thrust 867,000 N
specific impulse 825 s (vacuum) 380 s (sea level)
burn time 1,200 s
Diameter: 10.55 meters (34.6 ft)
Length: 43.69 meters (143.3 ft)
Mass empty: 34,019 kilograms (74,999 lb)
Mass full: 178,321 kilograms (393,131 lb)
Thrust (vacuum): 333.6 kN (75,000 lbf)
ISP (vacuum): 850 seconds (8.3 km/s)
ISP (sea level): 380 seconds (3.7 km/s)
Burn Time: 1,200 s
Propellants: LH2
Engines: 1 Nerva-2
Here is the full size of the roadmap: (right click and open in a new window/tab)
That's a hell of a rocket for it's time... We can beat it's thrust now by a lot, but not for such long periods. The SLS is the only thing that's going to beat it for burn time and thrust.