The NASA In-Space Propulsion Technology project's current products and future directions
Since its inception in 2001, the objective of the In-Space12 Propulsion Technology (ISPT) project has been developing and delivering in-space propulsion technologies that enable or enhance NASA robotic science missions. These in-space propulsion technologies are applicable, and potentially enabling for future NASA flagship and sample return missions currently under consideration, as well as having broad applicability to future Discovery and New Frontiers mission solicitations. This paper provides status of the technology development, applicability, and availability of in-space propulsion technologies that recently completed, or will be completing within the next year, their technology development and are ready for infusion into missions. The paper also describes the ISPT project's future focus on propulsion for sample return missions.
In-Space Propulsion Technology products for NASA's future science and exploration missions
Since 2001, the In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) project has been developing and delivering in-space propulsion technologies that will enable or enhance NASA robotic science missions. These in-space propulsion technologies are applicable, and potentially enabling, for future NASA flagship and sample return missions currently being considered, as well as having broad applicability to future competed mission solicitations. The high-temperature Advanced Material Bipropellant Rocket (AMBR) engine providing higher performance for lower cost was completed in 2009. Two other ISPT technologies are nearing completion of their technology development phase: 1) NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) ion propulsion system, a 0.6–7 kW throttle-able gridded ion system; and 2) Aerocapture technology development with investments in a family of thermal protection system (TPS) materials and structures; guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) models of blunt-body rigid aeroshells; aerothermal effect models: and atmospheric models for Earth, Titan, Mars and Venus. This paper provides status of the technology development, applicability, and availability of in-space propulsion technologies that have recently completed their technology development and will be ready for infusion into NASA's Discovery, New Frontiers, Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Flagship, and Exploration technology demonstration missions.12
Experimental observation of a strange nonchaotic attractor.
Evidence is presented for the existence of a strange nonchaotic attractor in a two-frequency quasi-periodically driven, buckled, magnetoelastic ribbon experiment. Scaling behavior in the Fourier amplitude spectrum is observed in agreement with predicted scaling behavior for strange nonchaotic attractors. Dimension measurements also support the existence of a strange nonchaotic attractor