Priorities in Space Science Enabled by Nuclear Power and Propulsion

✍ Scribed by Committee on Priorities for Space Science Enabled by Nuclear Power and Propulsion, National Research Council

• Publisher: National Academies Press
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 159
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

In 2003, NASA began an R&D effort to develop nuclear power and propulsion systems for solar system exploration. This activity, renamed Project Prometheus in 2004, was initiated because of the inherent limitations in photovoltaic and chemical propulsion systems in reaching many solar system objectives. To help determine appropriate missions for a nuclear power and propulsion capability, NASA asked the NRC for an independent assessment of potentially highly meritorious missions that may be enabled if space nuclear systems became operational. This report provides a series of space science objectives and missions that could be so enabled in the period beyond 2015 in the areas of astronomy and astrophysics, solar system exploration, and solar and space physics. It is based on but does not reprioritize the findings of previous NRC decadal surveys in those three areas.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter......Page 2
Preface......Page 10
Contents......Page 14
Executive Summary......Page 16
1 Introduction and Background......Page 24
2 Engineering and Technical Issues......Page 40
3 Applications of Nuclear Power and Propulsion in Solar and Space Physics: Background......Page 50
4 Applications of Nuclear Power and Propulsion in Solar and Space Physics: Missions......Page 57
5 Applications of Nuclear Power and Propulsion in Solar System Exploration: Background......Page 71
6 Applications of Nuclear Power and Propulsion in Solar System Exploration: Missions......Page 79
7 Applications of Nuclear Power and Propulsion in Astronomy and Astrophysics: Background......Page 98
8 Applications of Nuclear Power and Propulsion in Astronomy and Astrophysics: Missions......Page 106
9 Findings and Recommendations......Page 115
Appendixes......Page 124
A Past U.S. Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion Programs......Page 126
B The Interstellar Observatory......Page 130
C Additional Solar System Exploration Mission Concepts......Page 139
D Details of Selected Astronomy and Astrophysics Mission Concepts......Page 144
E Glossary, Acronyms, and Abbreviations......Page 148

✦ Subjects

Транспорт;Аэрокосмическая техника;Ракетные двигатели и энергетические установки;