Andrew Yee
August 25th 05, 07:17 PM
Sallie A. Keith
Media Relations Office
Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH
216-433-5795
August 23, 2005
RELEASE: 05-033
NASA's New Hall Thruster Passes Performance Testing
Researchers at NASA's Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, successfully
tested a new thruster that could make it easier and more cost effective to
study our solar system.
The test involved a Hall thruster built under the High Voltage Hall
Accelerator (HiVHAC) project. The HiVHAC thruster was designed and
fabricated over the last year by a team from Glenn and Aerojet, Redmond,
Wash., to operate efficiently over a wide range of input power levels.
The HiVHAC was tested in a vacuum chamber at Glenn that simulates the
vacuum environment of space. The thruster was shown to operate
successfully with input powers between 200 and 2900 watts at specific
impulses (a measure of propellant fuel economy) between 1,000 and 2,800
seconds.
"This thruster has met all of our initial objectives," said Dave Manzella,
the principle investigator of the HiVHAC project at Glenn. "It has great
potential to open the door to using solar electric propulsion in deep
space without adding significant weight or cost to the mission. Not only
will it operate efficiently with a range of input powers but it is also
significantly lighter, under three kilograms, and has fewer components
than state-of-the-art technologies."
Hall thrusters generate thrust by accelerating electrically charged gas
particles (ions). Ejecting these particles at high velocities in a focused
direction pushes the spacecraft ahead. This propulsion technology will
utilize the sun for its power. Solar energy for a given area decreases
with distance from the sun. Low power operation is therefore important
because it allows spacecraft to continue thrusting in space far from the
sun, where there is little solar power available to be absorbed by a
craft's solar arrays.
The thrust generated by this propulsion technology is much smaller than
currently-used chemical alternatives. It is comparable to the force
exerted by a sheet of paper resting on the palm of your hand. However,
unlike chemical systems that may only burn for a few minutes, a solar
electric propulsion engine can thrust continuously for years. Using this
propulsion technology, velocities more than 10 times those possible with
chemical systems can be achieved by spacecraft accelerating over a long
period of time.
"We believe that the HiVHAC thruster will be an invaluable part of future
planetary missions. While there is more work to be done before this
technology is ready to fly, we are already excited about the performance
and cost benefits being projected." said Tibor Kremic, Glenn's In-Space
Propulsion program manager.
The next step for this technology will be to design and demonstrate the
thruster's ability to achieve the long life necessary to reach outer
destinations. The flight subsystems that support the thruster, such as the
power processing unit, will also need to be developed.
The HiVHAC was developed through the In-Space Propulsion (ISP) technology
development program. ISP is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight
Center, Hunstville, Ala., on behalf of NASA's Science Mission Directorate
in Washington.
For images of the HiVHAC thruster on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/news/2005/05-033addm.html
For information about NASA's In-Space Propulsion program on the Web,
visit:
http://www.inspacepropulsion.com
For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html
Media Relations Office
Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH
216-433-5795
August 23, 2005
RELEASE: 05-033
NASA's New Hall Thruster Passes Performance Testing
Researchers at NASA's Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, successfully
tested a new thruster that could make it easier and more cost effective to
study our solar system.
The test involved a Hall thruster built under the High Voltage Hall
Accelerator (HiVHAC) project. The HiVHAC thruster was designed and
fabricated over the last year by a team from Glenn and Aerojet, Redmond,
Wash., to operate efficiently over a wide range of input power levels.
The HiVHAC was tested in a vacuum chamber at Glenn that simulates the
vacuum environment of space. The thruster was shown to operate
successfully with input powers between 200 and 2900 watts at specific
impulses (a measure of propellant fuel economy) between 1,000 and 2,800
seconds.
"This thruster has met all of our initial objectives," said Dave Manzella,
the principle investigator of the HiVHAC project at Glenn. "It has great
potential to open the door to using solar electric propulsion in deep
space without adding significant weight or cost to the mission. Not only
will it operate efficiently with a range of input powers but it is also
significantly lighter, under three kilograms, and has fewer components
than state-of-the-art technologies."
Hall thrusters generate thrust by accelerating electrically charged gas
particles (ions). Ejecting these particles at high velocities in a focused
direction pushes the spacecraft ahead. This propulsion technology will
utilize the sun for its power. Solar energy for a given area decreases
with distance from the sun. Low power operation is therefore important
because it allows spacecraft to continue thrusting in space far from the
sun, where there is little solar power available to be absorbed by a
craft's solar arrays.
The thrust generated by this propulsion technology is much smaller than
currently-used chemical alternatives. It is comparable to the force
exerted by a sheet of paper resting on the palm of your hand. However,
unlike chemical systems that may only burn for a few minutes, a solar
electric propulsion engine can thrust continuously for years. Using this
propulsion technology, velocities more than 10 times those possible with
chemical systems can be achieved by spacecraft accelerating over a long
period of time.
"We believe that the HiVHAC thruster will be an invaluable part of future
planetary missions. While there is more work to be done before this
technology is ready to fly, we are already excited about the performance
and cost benefits being projected." said Tibor Kremic, Glenn's In-Space
Propulsion program manager.
The next step for this technology will be to design and demonstrate the
thruster's ability to achieve the long life necessary to reach outer
destinations. The flight subsystems that support the thruster, such as the
power processing unit, will also need to be developed.
The HiVHAC was developed through the In-Space Propulsion (ISP) technology
development program. ISP is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight
Center, Hunstville, Ala., on behalf of NASA's Science Mission Directorate
in Washington.
For images of the HiVHAC thruster on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/news/2005/05-033addm.html
For information about NASA's In-Space Propulsion program on the Web,
visit:
http://www.inspacepropulsion.com
For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html