GeoSail : an elegant solar sail demonstration mission
Macdonald, Malcolm and Hughes, Gareth W. and McInnes, Colin and Lyngvi, Aleksander and Falkner, Peter and Atzei, Alessandro (2007) GeoSail : an elegant solar sail demonstration mission. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, 44 (4). pp. 784-796. ISSN 0022-4650 (https://doi.org/10.2514/1.22867)
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Abstract
In this paper a solar sail magnetotail mission concept was examined. The 43-m square solar sail is used to providethe required propulsion for continuous sun-synchronous apse-line precession. The main driver in this mission was found to be the reduction of launch mass and mission cost while enabling a nominal duration of 2 years within the framework of a demonstration mission. It was found that the mission concept provided an excellent solar sail technology demonstration option. The baseline science objectives and engineering goals were addressed, and mission analysis for solar sail, electric, and chemical propulsion performed. Detailed subsystems were defined for each propulsion system and it was found that the optimum propulsion system is solar sailing. A detailed tradeoff as to the effect of spacecraft and sail technology levels, and requirements, on sail size is presented for the first time. The effect of, for example, data acquisition rate and RF output power on sail size is presented, in which it is found that neither have a significant effect. The key sail technology requirements have been identified through a parametric analysis.
ORCID iDs
Macdonald, Malcolm ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4499-4281, Hughes, Gareth W., McInnes, Colin, Lyngvi, Aleksander, Falkner, Peter and Atzei, Alessandro;-
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Item type: Article ID code: 6508 Dates: DateEventJuly 2007PublishedSubjects: Technology > Mechanical engineering and machinery
Technology > Motor vehicles. Aeronautics. AstronauticsDepartment: Faculty of Engineering > Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Technology and Innovation Centre > Advanced Engineering and ManufacturingDepositing user: Strathprints Administrator Date deposited: 01 Aug 2008 Last modified: 05 Oct 2024 00:14 URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/6508