Magnetohydrodynamic flow control during reentry01 Nov 2015 During the reentry phase, spacecraft experiences large aerodynamic and thermal loads that constraint the vehicle design. Previous studies have shown that magnetohydrodynamic flow control is capable of reducing these thermal loads. In a short study, existing literature on this concept was combined to estimate the impact on the re-entry trajectory.

Advanced Plasma Diagnostics01 Jul 2014 Electric propulsion (EP) produces thrust by ionizing and accelerating atoms to very high velocities. Although the total mass flow of the ejected ions is far lower than what is obtained in chemical propulsion, the total thrust is the product of mass flow and exit velocity. EP thrusters that can deliver up to several Newton of thrust due to their ...

Nuclear Fusion Propulsion Systems30 May 2013 The exploration of the solar system requires advanced propulsion techniques capable of specific impulse above 104s and specific power in the range 1-10kW/kg. Fusion is the most interesting option to meet these requirements.

Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Thrusters22 Apr 2013 Tuning of the grid spacing in inertial electrostatic confinement devices can produce jets. This project explores the extraction of such jets for high performance space propulsion.

Helicon Radiofrequency Plasma Thrusters18 Apr 2013 The Helicon source is a device capable of high-efficiency plasma generation. High-density plasma is produced by the use of a helical radio frequency antenna to ionise neutral gas (e.g. argon, krypton, xenon, helium or hydrogen) in a tube closed at one end. The helical antenna excites the gas to dissociate electrons and ...

Burn criteria for generic fusion reactors in space02 Dec 2012 In space, nuclear fusion reactors would face different issues than on Earth. For instance, mass, reliability and overall efficiency become far more crucial. Significant differences in the choice of materials, subsystems, and working principles of the fusion reactor are expected.