Session
Technical Session XII: Propulsion
Abstract
The purpose of this activity is to quickly develop miniature warm gas thruster technology for application to next generation micro satellite systems and to provide an industrial source for this technology. A brief assessment of the market was conducted and prior work evaluated in order to ascertain the state-of-the-art. Based upon this information, gas mixtures and catalysts were selected for evaluation. It was concluded that 0.5 lbf thrust hardware was suitably representative of the desired size range without being so small as to introduce excessive fabrication problems. A gas mixture providing a theoretical temperature of 1200F (1660R) was selected for the initial tests to provide compatibility with easily obtainable materials such as stainless steel. Higher performance mixtures were to be introduced once the catalyst screening phase was complete. Several types of catalysts were selected for initial evaluation.
Warm Gas Propulsion for Small Satellites
The purpose of this activity is to quickly develop miniature warm gas thruster technology for application to next generation micro satellite systems and to provide an industrial source for this technology. A brief assessment of the market was conducted and prior work evaluated in order to ascertain the state-of-the-art. Based upon this information, gas mixtures and catalysts were selected for evaluation. It was concluded that 0.5 lbf thrust hardware was suitably representative of the desired size range without being so small as to introduce excessive fabrication problems. A gas mixture providing a theoretical temperature of 1200F (1660R) was selected for the initial tests to provide compatibility with easily obtainable materials such as stainless steel. Higher performance mixtures were to be introduced once the catalyst screening phase was complete. Several types of catalysts were selected for initial evaluation.
