Electric Jet Engines
(Last revision: October 24, 1999)
It is the field of my interest. Why? Take a minute to read the text below.
Notes:
This is my own translation from Russian of some fragments of an article in the magazine "Novosti Kosmonavtiki" ("Space News"), No.19/20 (186/187),1998. This article describes Russian project of crewed Martian mission. Article material is based on the report maded by Leonid Alekseevich Gorshkov of RSC "Energy" at the International Meeting "Mission to Mars", which was held at Space Research Institute in Moscow on September 14-16, 1998.
English is not my native language. If you find any mistakes, please write me at [email protected]
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Engine type for the interplanetary flight was choosed, in essence, as far back as at 60th years. It is electric jet engines (EJE). A source of energy is considered to be solar batteries.
When using EJE, nessesary initial mass
of complex is estimated as 400 tons. Martian complex consists of
the solar tug of the mass 210-250 tons with the spare of working
body 160 tons, habitat (orbital) module of the mass 80 tons and
lander of the mass near 60 tons. The last includes a take-off
rocket of the mass near 25 tons.
The solar tug includes a central module, fuel module with tanks
of working body (xenon), panels with the big number of engines,
repeatedly reserved, and EJE control system. The solar batteries
are situated in the form of the rhombus with the side 400 meters
and are built on the base of farms with film photoelectric
converters.
Acceleration from low near-Earth orbit till the transfer velocity
by means of EJE will be realized on spiral paths during
approximately three months.
Tests of an influence of factors of space flight on thin-film
solar batteries are scheduled in a flight of cargo vehicle
"Progress M-40" in October 1998. Batteries are made
from amorphous silicon on the substrate from special steel of
thickness 20 micrometers.
What about EJE type, engines with anode layer developed by
TsNIIMash are considered, which do not require using the
electrical converters. Fly tests of such engines are scheduled at
experimental space vehicle "Module-M", which launch is
planned on transport cargo vehicle "Progress-M" No.242.
During years 1999-2005 the first phase of work on the realization
of martian expedition is planned. On the base of "Mir"
station and Russian segment of ISS EJE operations must be tested
(projects "Module-M", "Module-M2" and
"Mars-Module"). "Mars-Module" presents a
scale prototype of a crewed vehicle.
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So, I think you understand now, why I am interesting in electric jet engines. If you have something to discuss on this theme, I'll be glad to receive your letter.
My e-mail : [email protected]