Characterization of e-sails: a novel propulsive concept that exploits the solar wind to propel larger spacecraft for interplanetary travel
Andrea Bari
Characterization of e-sails: a novel propulsive concept that exploits the solar wind to propel larger spacecraft for interplanetary travel.
Rel. Paolo Maggiore. Politecnico di Torino, Corso di laurea magistrale in Ingegneria Aerospaziale, 2023
Abstract
Pekka Janhunen of the Finnish Meteorological Institute first proposed the concept of electric sails in 2006, which utilize the solar wind dynamic pressure to generate a small, yet continuous thrust by interacting with an electric field generated from charged tethers. This technology could be a competitive propulsion system for future missions, and NASA’s Marshall Space Center has provided funding for a Small Business Technology Transfer Phase II project to model the thruster performance of an E-sail spacecraft. This work will include a test campaign to validate parallel 3D Particle-In-Cell (PIC) codes with improved boundary conditions. This dissertation entails the experimental test campaign needed to validate the parallel 3D Particle-In- Cell (PIC) codes with improved boundary conditions.
This campaign will be focused on characterizing the performances of a surrogate sail exposed to a high density, high velocity plasma stream simulating the solar wind, exploiting novel plasma accelerators
Tipo di pubblicazione
URI
 |
Modifica (riservato agli operatori) |
