ION ENGINE ORBITAL FLIGHT TEST PROGRAM.
Abstract
This report describes the design and construction of a system consisting of an ion thrustor and the associated power conditioning and control circuitry required for orbital flight operation in the SNAPSHOT mission. The system is capable of operation in a space environment and in a nuclear radiation field in excess of that created by the SNAP-10A nuclear reactor. The system is programmed for automatic operation in flight and will accept vehicle and RTC commands and provide performance information for telemetry. The system is powered by batteries which are charged by the SNAP-10A nuclear reactor. Battery power is converted to ac in a form suitable for providing the heater power and electrostatic potentials required by the ion thrustor subsystem. Tasks performed on this program include developing the ion thrustor subsystem and the power conditioning system and verifying their performance on operational, environmental, and qualification tests. Subsidiary tasks were an extensive nuclear radiation testing program on electronic components and subsystems, and the development of an automatic battery charger. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 29, 1965
- Accession Number
- AD0476205
Entities
People
- John J. Davis
Organizations
- Xerox