TY  - CONF
A1  - Dachwald, Bernd
A1  - Seboldt, Wolfgang
A1  - Loeb, Horst W.
A1  - Schartner, Karl-Heinz
T1  - A comparison of SEP and NEP for a main belt asteroid sample return mission
T2  - 7th International Symposium on Launcher Technologies, Barcelona, Spain, 02-05 April 2007
N2  - Innovative interplanetary deep space missions, like a main belt asteroid sample
return mission, require ever larger velocity increments (∆V s) and thus ever
more demanding propulsion capabilities. Providing much larger exhaust velocities than chemical high-thrust systems, electric low-thrust space-propulsion
systems can significantly enhance or even enable such high-energy missions. In
1995, a European-Russian Joint Study Group (JSG) presented a study report
on “Advanced Interplanetary Missions Using Nuclear-Electric Propulsion”
(NEP). One of the investigated reference missions was a sample return (SR)
from the main belt asteroid (19) Fortuna. The envisaged nuclear power plant,
Topaz-25, however, could not be realized and also the worldwide developments
in space reactor hardware stalled. In this paper, we investigate, whether such
a mission is also feasible using a solar electric propulsion (SEP) system and
compare our SEP results to corresponding NEP results.
Y1  - 2007
UR  - https://opus.bibliothek.fh-aachen.de/opus4/frontdoor/index/index/docId/10090
SP  - 1
EP  - 10
ER  -