VASIMR lunar tug

[docm]

Did some digging at the Ad Astra site and came up with this from last September (paragraph breaks added for clarity);<br /><br />http://www.adastrarocket.com/Tim_IEPC07.pdf<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p><b>Projected Lunar Cargo Capabilities of High-Power VASIMRTM Propulsion</b><br /><br />IEPC-2007-244<br /><br />Presented at the 30th International Electric Propulsion Conference, Florence, Italy September 17-20, 2007<br /><br /><b>Abstract:</b> A lunar cargo architecture based on solar-powered VASIMRTM plasma propulsion is considered. Performance in terms of the mass of cargo delivered to the lunar surface is presented as a function of specific impulse. A principal advantage of the VASIMRTM over other electric propulsion technologies for this application is its use of abundant and inexpensive argon as propellant. <br /><br />While it is generally believed that solar electric propulsion offers significant economic advantages over chemical propulsion to a large-scale lunar exploration program, the cost of solar photovoltaic power will be a critical factor in achieving real cost savings. Solar electric power cost will strongly affect the choice of thruster technology and optimal specific impulse.<br /><br /><b>Nomenclature</b><br /><br />&#945; = specific mass, kg/kW<br />CDV = Cargo Delivery Vehicle<br />DL = descent/lander<br />IMLEO = initial mass in low Earth orbit<br />Isp = specific impulse<br />LEO = low Earth orbit<br />LLO = low lunar orbit<br />LOI = lunar orbit insertion<br />OTV = Orbital Transfer Vehicle<br />PV = photovoltaic<br />SEP = solar-electric propulsion<br />SLA = Stretched Lens Array<br />SLASR = Stretched Lens Array Square Rigger<br />TL = trans-lunar<br />VASIMR = VAriable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket<br /> />><br /><b>II. Proposed Architecture</b><br /><br />The architecture of the system considered here is illustrated in Fig. 1. Implementation of th</p></blockquote> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[qso1]

If they can make it cost competitive with chemically propelled stages. I think it would make an excellent tug and testbed for applications concerning Mars as well as lunar ops. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>