Development of the Electric Vehicle Analyzer
Abstract
The increasing technological maturity of high power (>20 kW) electric propulsion devices has led to renewed interest in their use as a means of efficiently transferring payloads between earth orbits. Several systems and architecture studies have identified the potential cost benefits of high performance Electric Orbital Transfer Vehicles (EOTVs). These studies led to the initiation of the Electric Insertion Transfer Experiment (ELITE) in 1988. Managed by the Astronautics Laboratory, ELITE is a flight experiment designed to sufficiently demonstrate key technologies and options to pave the way for the full-scale development of an operational EOTV. An important consideration in the development of the ELITE program is the capability of available analytical tools to simulate the orbital mechanics of a low thrust, electric propulsion transfer vehicle. These tools are necessary not only for ELITE mission planning exercises but also for continued, efficient, accurate evaluation of DoD space transportation architectures which include EOTVs. This paper presents such a tool: the Electric Vehicle Analyzer (EVA).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA224201
Entities
People
- Kimberly A. Ennix
- Leo M. Matuszak
- Michael R. Dickey
- Raymond S. Klucz