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Topic: Solar thermal rocket

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	Spartanburg SC \| GoUpstate.com \| Spartanburg Herald-Journal
		Solar thermal propulsion is a form of spacecraft propulsion that makes use of solar power to directly heat reaction mass, and therefore does not require an electrical generator as most other forms of solar-powered propulsion do.
		A solar thermal rocket only has to carry the means of capturing solar energy, such as concentrators and mirrors.
		Indirect solar heating involves pumping the propellant through passages in a heat exchanger that is heated by solar radiation.
	www.goupstate.com /apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=NEWS&template=wiki&text=Solar_thermal_rocket (617 words)

	Solar thermal rocket - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		Solar thermal propulsion is a form of spacecraft propulsion that makes use of solar power to directly heat reaction mass, and therefore does not require an electrical generator as most other forms of solar-powered propulsion do.
		A solar thermal rocket only has to carry the means of capturing solar energy, such as concentrators and mirrors.
		Indirect solar heating involves pumping the propellant through passages in a heat exchanger that is heated by solar radiation.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Solar_thermal_rocket (627 words)

	Encyclopedia :: encyclopedia : Spacecraft propulsion (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		The speed ratio of a rocket nozzle is mostly determined by its area expansion ratio—the ratio of the area of the throat to the area at the exit.
		Rockets emitting plasma can potentially carry out reactions inside a magnetic bottle and release the plasma via a magnetic nozzle, so that no solid matter need come in contact with the plasma.
		For some missions, solar energy may be sufficient, but for others nuclear energy will be necessary; engines drawing their power from a nuclear source are called nuclear electric rockets.
	www.hallencyclopedia.com /Spacecraft_propulsion (3264 words)

	Variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		The Variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket (VASIMR) is a hypothetical form of spacecraft propulsion that uses radio waves and magnetic fields to accelerate a propellant.
		Solar energy might be more efficiently used in a solar thermal rocket, which would have lower specific impulse but higher energy efficiency.
		Closing the choke shifts the rocket into high gear; it reduces the number of ions exiting the drive (thus producing less thrust), but keeps their temperature high (thus increasing specific impulse).
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Variable_specific_impulse_magnetoplasma_rocket (492 words)

	C:\DOCUME~1\BRYANY~1\Desktop\SPACER~1\technologies.html
		As shown in figure 35 [Solar Thermal Concepts a and b.] and figure 35c [Solar Thermal Thruster (Rocketdyne], the solar radiation is collected and focused to heat a propellant.
		The state of the art of solar thermal propulsion is that the absorber/thruster of the indirect solar radiation absorption approach is in the proof of principle stage.
		In general, for both solar and laser thermal propulsion concepts, the availability of oxygen as propellant through lunar soil processing is not expected to be attractive because of the difficulty of achieving the required high-temperature oxygen-resistant materials for the thruster, the poor cooling capacity of oxygen, and the low specific impulse potential of oxygen.
	www.nss.org /settlement/nasa/spaceresvol2/beamed.html (1512 words)

	NASA Quest > Space Team Online (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Today's rockets are remarkable collections of human ingenuity that have their roots in the science and technology of the past.
		By the 16th century rockets fell into a time of disuse as weapons of war, though they were still used for fireworks displays, and a German fireworks maker, Johann Schmidlap, invented the "step rocket," a multi-staged vehicle for lifting fireworks to higher altitudes.
		Nearly all uses of rockets up to this time were for warfare or fireworks, but an interesting old Chinese legend reports the use of rockets as a means of transportation.
	quest.arc.nasa.gov /space/teachers/rockets/history.html (3888 words)

	Thermal Physics [encyclopedia] (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Thermal physics is a particular interesting aspect of physics as it underlies the operation of engines and refrigeration systems.
		The temperature of the object was then a measure of the thermal energy, essentially an average of the kinetic energy of all the molecules of that object.
		Thermal action would also cause the ratchet to bounce out of place, and the skewed configuration of the gear teeth would make it more likely the gear would move in reverse if that happened.
	www.kosmoi.com /Science/Physics/Thermodynamics (7468 words)

	SpaceViews January 1997: Articles
		Using the intense heat at the solar concentrator mirror's focal point, a discarded upper stage or abandoned satellite could be cut to pieces and melted in a solar kiln.
		The STR vehicle would return to earth orbit using the lightest elements as propellent in most cases, depending upon the market value of them at the time vs. the longer travel time back if heavier elements are used as propellent.
		Neither solar thermal or laser rockets carry their power sources with them, and with laser rockets this advantage can put them on par with advanced fusion rockets.
	www.seds.org /spaceviews/9701/articles.html (5591 words)

	Nuclear-Heated Steam Rocket Using Lunar Ice
		A steam rocket, with energy supplied by some external means such as a solar collector or nuclear reactor, would develop between 100 and 230 seconds of specific impulse (Isp) using the water directly as propellant.
		Rocket engine specific power is a measure of the power required per ton of vehicle to lift payload against lunar gravity.
		The cryofuel rocket compares poorly to the NSR because it requires an additional infrastructure to generate electricity in space, to split the water into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis, and to condense the gases into the premier cryogenic rocket fuels liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2).
	neofuel.com /moonicerocket (4929 words)

	Nuclear Rockets
		The advantage of a nuclear rocket is its high exhaust velocity, which is more than two times greater than that of the engines on Space Shuttle rockets.
		Because of the extreme operating conditions in a gas core engine, design issues in fluid mechanics, materials, thermal load and radiation transport are at the state of the art or beyond.
		The gas core rocket development is a grand challenge commensurate with the capabilities of a national laboratory.
	www.lanl.gov /orgs/pa/science21/NuclearRocket.html (585 words)

	History and Development of the Rocket Engine
		solar sails provide very low but inexhaustible thrust; an interplanetary vehicle using one of these methods would follow a rather different trajectory, either constantly thrusting against its direction of motion in order to decrease its distance from the Sun or constantly thrusting along its direction of motion to increase its distance from the Sun.
		The speed ratio of a rocket nozzle is mostly determined by it's area expansion ratio- this is the ratio of the area of the throat to the area at the exit.
		solar energy may be sufficient, but for others nuclear energy will be necessary; engines drawing their power from a nuclear source are called
	www.edinformatics.com /inventions_inventors/rocket_engine.htm (3031 words)

	Analytical Capabilities
		SRS Technologies is actively involved in the design, development, testing, and fabrication of components for an orbital transfer vehicle that utilizes solar thermal rocket propulsion.
		Detailed thermal analysis is performed to support the design of ultra high temperature heat exchangers for use in solar propulsion and solar dynamic engines.
		Shown here is a thermal model of an absorber which is used in solar thermal propulsion.
	www.stg.srs.com /atd/anal_capa.htm (491 words)

	2001 Mars Odyssey Spacecraft (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		A parabolic high-gain dish antenna is mounted on a mast extending from one corner of the bottom of the bus.
		The main engine, a hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide rocket which can produce 65.3 kg thrust, is mounted in the bottom part of the propulsion module, along with the fuel, oxidizer and helium pressurization tanks.
		Thermal control is achieved using a system of heaters, radiators, louvers, insulating blankets and thermal paint.
	www.solarviews.com /eng/odyssey.htm (605 words)

	ATI's Rocket Propulsion 101 course
		The objective is to give the engineer or manager the tools needed to understand the available choices in rocket propulsion and/or to manage technical experts with greater in-depth knowledge of rocket systems.
		He is an independent consultant, writer and teacher of rocket system technology, experienced in launch vehicle operations, design, testing, business analysis, risk reduction, modeling, safety and reliability.
		Introduction to thermal chemical analysis, exhaust species shift with mixture ratio, and the concepts of frozen and shifting equilibrium.
	www.aticourses.com /rocket_propulsion.htm (629 words)

	Final Gallery
		The oldest form of rocket propulsion is chemical propulsion, that which mixes two or more chemicals together producing a chemical reaction.
		An alternate approach is to supply energy to the rocket from a source other than the propellant, known as a thermal rocket.
		When traveling short distances, chemical or thermal propulsion would be the best, since it is the fastest when concerned with short distances because of its immense bursts of thrust.
	aerospacescholars.jsc.nasa.gov /has/Students/finalGall.cfm?id=161 (834 words)

	Apollo Telescope Mount
		NRL had extensive instrumentation in the second of the series, OSO-2, securing interesting results on solar x rays, as well as the first solar images in Lyman-a of hydrogen, 1216 A, and in He 11 304 A to be recorded photoelectrically from orbit.
		Intensive studies quickly led to the conclusion that (1) the meteorite and thermal shield and one of the two solar cell arrays had been torn from the SWS during the boost phase; and (2) the other solar array had failed to deploy fully.
		A type of solar observation considered of great importance was the recording of the XUV spectrum at great spectral and spatial resolution for different kinds of solar regions, for example, filaments, active regions, the limb, flares, and so on.
	wwwsolar.nrl.navy.mil /skylab_atm.html (3587 words)

	Halfbakery: rocket tube
		A rocket delivery system could raise an energy weapon to a height where it could reach targets over the horizon, and by passing through less atmosphere, would be less detectable and less lossy.
		So to get this right getting a rocket into "LEO" is all about blindly burning energy to fight for a gain against gravity not about constructing a climb by moving the stuff that is infront out of the way and building a more rigid platform below.
		Initially, yes, the laser was to reduce friction infront of the rocket by making a tube of less dense air.
	www.halfbakery.com /idea/rocket_20tube (947 words)

	Rockets and Space Transportation (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		When a rocket flies from one planet to another, it typically fires a rocket engine to depart one planet, and perhaps fires another rocket engine to stop at the destination, but it can coast in between.
		The rocket's equivalent of the automobile's distance is the Delta-V, typically measured in meters per second (m/s) or kilometers per second (km/s).
		In the inner solar system, the use of solar panels to accomplish this is difficult; after all, near Mars, a 25%-efficient solar cell array (about the best available) the size of a football field is required to produce 500,000 watts.
	www.pma.caltech.edu /~chirata/deltav.html (1781 words)

	[2.0] Advanced Space Rocket Propulsion Systems (1)
		The goal of most of these advanced rocket propulsion schemes is improved efficiency through higher exhaust velocities, in order to reduce the amount of fuel the rocket vehicle needs to carry, though generally at the expense of high thrust.
		This chapter focuses on nuclear thermal, nuclear explosive, and solar thermal propulsion schemes.
		An operational STR engine would have one or two mirrors, supported by an inflatable structure made of a foam that hardens on exposure to ultraviolet.
	www.vectorsite.net /tarokt_2.html (3546 words)

	Indirect Solar Thermal Systems
		Solar thermal propulsion is a form of spacecraft propulsion that makes use of solar power to...
		Maintenance for these solar thermal systems is typically very low.
		Solar heating systems are generally composed of solar thermal collectors, a fluid system to move...
	www.spacemoose.com /indirect-solar-thermal-systems.html (208 words)

	Magellan Mission to Venus
		The long, white, horn-shaped antenna, attached just to the left of the dish antenna, is the altimeter antenna that gathers data concerning the surface height of features on Venus.
		Most of the spacecraft is wrapped in reflective white thermal blankets that protect its sensitive instruments from solar radiation.
		The Magellan spacecraft's deployment from the shuttle Atlantis' cargo bay was captured by an astronaut with a hand-held camera pointed through the shuttle's aft flight deck windows.
	www.solarviews.com /eng/magellan.htm (575 words)

	Space weather rocket standing by for launch
		The winds at Andoya Rocket Range were calm, but Longyearbyen was overcast with snow, blowing snow, drifting snow and low visibility.
		The solar wind magnetic field was mostly southward driving the auroral oval equatorward.
		Earlier the team reported that the rocket motors and the payload had been assembled and mounted on the U3 launcher, and held a practice countdown.
	science.nasa.gov /newhome/headlines/ast12jan99_1.htm (1298 words)

	Solar thermal rocket (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		A thermal solar rocket that includes a solar energy receiver having two sections (a thermal energy storage section and a direct gain section), a solar concentrator, and a propulsion nozzle.
		In another embodiment, the focus of the solar energy between the storage section and the direct gain section is controlled by an optical switch in the form of relative motion between the solar concentrator and the solar energy receiver.
		The rocket of claim 1, wherein said thermal energy storage section is constructed from at least one material selected from the group consisting of: rhenium coated graphite and tungsten encapsulated boron nitride.
	www.newsdrip.com /343/solar_thermal_rocket_6343464.html (999 words)

	Balroc
		Since the air is thinner, your drag is lower, somewhat, though this is not linear; the drag increases as a function of the square of the velocity, only partially countered by the decrease in density.
		A lot of this is based on the idea that your chamber pressure is kept fairly constant, and your solar flux is fairly constant, and the mass-throughput is constant (a folded tube may also be necessary if the heat transfer isn't fast enough to keep up with the throughput).
		Of course, you aren't really running into gas that's heated to 63,200K, it's you that's travelling along at 7.5kps, not the gas, making the gas kinetically equivalent to that temperature, but it also means that very little of the gas is ionized (1 part in 100,000,000 in the ionosphere).
	www.silcom.com /~tomjolly/balroc.htm (3002 words)

	Amazon.com: To the End of the Solar System: The Story of the Nuclear Rocket: Books: James A. Dewar (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Chemically propelled rockets can lift less than 5 percent of their take-off weight into orbit, a fact that could forever limit the space program.
		Nuclear-powered rockets, however, with their superior thrusting power and speed, are radically different.
		To The End of the Solar System is an excellent primer on the nuclear rocket -- the history that might have been, and still waiting to be.
	www.amazon.com /End-Solar-System-Nuclear-Rocket/dp/0813122678 (1872 words)

	UAH Propulsion Research Center
		A primary conclusion was that the approximate techniques predict unrealistic performance trends in the small nozzles characteristic of solar thermal propulsion which are dominated by viscous effects.
		Where a conventional rocket engine carries both oxidizer and fuel on board, the DRE carries only the fuel, while air is ducted into the engine for use as an oxidizer.
		Presently, solar thermal rocket propulsion is the primary research objective for the facility.
	prc.uah.edu /archives/reports/fy95rpt/prc95.html (14264 words)

	Mars Expedition NASA Lewis 1960
		The first NASA study of a manned Mars expedition outlined an opposition-class, nuclear thermal rocket powered spacecraft that would take seven astronauts to the planet's surface for 40 days.
		After using rockets to brake into Mars orbit, a separate lander would descend from a mother ship to the surface.
		All things considered, the final Lewis conclusion that a ship using nuclear thermal propulsion, meeting the mission profile, and limiting the crewmember's dose to 100 REM, would have a total mass of 614 tonnes on departure from earth orbit.
	www.astronautix.com /craft/mars1960.htm (527 words)

	Asteroid Industry Follow-On Missions
		Solar sail, magnetic sail, solar thermal using asteroid material as reaction mass.
		I would think that most volatiles could be used in a solar thermal rocket.
		Water could be split (possibly by extra solar panels included in the follow-on mission) and used in a Hydrogen/Oxygen rocket, but that would require automated storage of cryogenic materials.
	members.cox.net /salamon/Tech/Space/Asteroids/followons.html (850 words)

	Mars 1994
		By the 1980's test of the experimental RD-0410 nuclear thermal rocket engine had led to a definitive flight design.
		The NPO Luch powerplant produced 20,000 kgf, with a thermal power of 1200 MW, operating time of 5 hours, and a specific impulse of between 815 and 927 seconds.
		A radiation storm cellar was enclosed within the aft section for protection of the crew during solar storms.
	www.astronautix.com /craft/mars1994.htm (552 words)

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