Electric Propulsion for the Psyche Mission: Development Activities and Status

Snyder, John Steven; Chaplin, Vernon H.; Goebel, Dan M.; Hofer, Richard R.; Ortega, Alejandro López; Mikellides, Ioannis G.; Kerl, Taylor; Lenguito, Giovanni; Aghazadeh, Faraz; Johnson, Ian

doi:10.2514/6.2020-3607

Cited by 12 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Hall thrusters are a type of electric propulsion (EP) device with high thrust density (∼10 N m −2 ), moderate specific impulse (∼2000 s), and decades of in-space flight heritage. These devices have been widely employed for near-Earth applications such as orbit-raising and station-keeping, and more recently, have also been baselined for deep space missions [1][2][3]. The advent of magnetic shielding, a technique that greatly extends the lifetimes of these devices [4,5], has helped to expand their potential operating envelope and mission architectures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in mass utilization of a magnetically shielded Hall thruster operating on xenon and krypton

Su,

Marks,

Jorns

2024

Plasma Sources Sci. Technol.

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The trends in mass utilization with increasing discharge voltage and current are investigated for a magnetically shielded Hall thruster operating on xenon and krypton. A 9-kW class shielded thruster is operated with discharge voltages from 300 to 600 V and discharge currents from 15 to 30 A on xenon and krypton. Experimental measurements of discharge current, thrust, anode efficiency, and ion velocity as a function of axial position are used to calibrate a multi-fluid 2D Hall thruster code at all operating conditions. The results of these calibrated simulations are employed to interrogate the plasma properties inside the thruster channel. A simplified 0D model for mass utilization evaluated on spatial averages of the simulated plasma parameters is employed to interpret the response of this efficiency mode with power for each propellant. It is found that with both higher voltage and current, mass utilization increases for both gases and their relative gap in this efficiency decreases. This can be attributed to the higher plasma densities and ionization rate coefficients at high voltage, and solely to higher plasma densities at high current. The driving factors for the increase in mass utilization are examined in the context of its nonlinear response to internal plasma properties. The behavior of mass utilization is also discussed in context of the gap in overall efficiency between the propellants. Finally, the implications of these results for improving the performance of high power Hall thrusters operating on krypton are examined.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in mass utilization of a magnetically shielded Hall thruster operating on xenon and krypton

Su,

Marks,

Jorns

2024

Plasma Sources Sci. Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. employed for station-keeping and orbit-raising of spacecraft, and they are increasingly being baselined for deep space missions [3,4]. While this technology is already widely used, new mission applications are calling for Hall thrusters that operate in expanded power regimes and for unprecedentedly long lifetimes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges with the self-consistent implementation of closure models for anomalous electron transport in fluid simulations of Hall thrusters

Marks

Jorns

2023

Plasma Sources Sci. Technol.

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The performance of closure models for the anomalous electron transport when self-consistently implemented in a fluid model for a Hall effect thruster is investigated. This cross-field transport, which is orders of magnitude higher than classical collisional transport, is represented as an effective collision frequency. The proposed closure models relate this transport coefficient to local fluid properties of the plasma. Before implementation, the models are calibrated against values of the collision frequency inferred empirically from a 9-kW Hall thruster at 300 V and 15 A. It is found that even though closure models match the empirical collision frequency values, they diverge from these values when implemented self-consistently in a Hall thruster code. Possible drivers of this behavior are examined, including the role of non-linearity in the governing equations of the Hall thruster fluid model, artifacts from using time-averaged calibration data, and the non-uniqueness of the empirically-inferred collision frequencies. These results are discussed in the context of their implications for discovering and validating new closures necessary for enabling fully-predictive Hall thruster models. 

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Mission to Psyche: Including Undergraduates and the Public on the Journey to a Metal World

et al. 2023

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The NASA Psyche mission’s program to engage university undergraduates and the public in the mission is inspired by and built upon the extensive foundation of public engagement, educational outreach activities, and expertise of NASA and mission partner institutions. The program leverages the enthusiasm and contributions of undergraduates nationwide to the benefit of the mission, the students and their institutions and communities, and the broader public. Psyche Student Collaborations consists of four main programs, two (Psyche Capstone and Psyche Inspired) are available solely to undergraduates enrolled at universities or community colleges in the United States and its territories and two (Innovation Toolkit free online courses and Science Outreach Interns and Docents) invite broader participation by engaging the talents and creativity of undergraduate interns to help create content and events to reach the public and lifelong learners. Together, these offerings provide multiple entry points and a spectrum of intensity of experiences, numbers of participants, disciplinary diversity, and mode of delivery. Involving undergraduates in all phases of the program supports the development of the next generation of explorers, contributes to the nation’s workforce preparation, and complements NASA’s existing undergraduate offerings by providing long-term opportunities for students to participate with the mission through established postsecondary education structures like capstone courses.

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Electric Propulsion for the Psyche Mission: Development Activities and Status

Cited by 12 publications

References 22 publications

Trends in mass utilization of a magnetically shielded Hall thruster operating on xenon and krypton

Trends in mass utilization of a magnetically shielded Hall thruster operating on xenon and krypton

Challenges with the self-consistent implementation of closure models for anomalous electron transport in fluid simulations of Hall thrusters

Mission to Psyche: Including Undergraduates and the Public on the Journey to a Metal World

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