Study On Feasibility Of Magneto Plasma Sail For Deep Space Exploration
- Paper number
IAC-07-C4.6.06
- Author
Mr. Hiroyuki Nishida, University of Tokyo, Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Hiroyuki Ogawa, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/ISAS, Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Ikkoh Funaki, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/ISAS, Japan
- Coauthor
Prof. Yoshifumi Inatani, Japanese Rocket Society, Japan
- Year
2007
- Abstract
It takes very long time for deep space explorations in current technology and new advanced propulsion systems are needed to shorten mission time drastically. Magneto Plasma Sail is such advanced propulsion system. This propulsion system propels making use of the solar wind, which is the high speed plasma flow from the Sun. The solar wind is caught by an artificial magnetosphere created around the spacecraft to generate thrust. The magnetosphere works as a sail of Magneto Plasma Sail, and so large magnetosphere has to be created to generate large thrust; the magnetosphere of several hundreds kilometers in radius can generate a few Newton. However, it is difficult to create such large magnetosphere and so Magneto Plasma Sail uses coil currents and plasma injection from the spacecraft to overcome this difficulty. A small magnetosphere created by the coil currents is inflated to a large one by the plasma injection. Magneto Plasma Sail is expected to achieve high performances, but the feasibility is now in discussion. Magneto Plasma Sail utilizes two complicated magnetohydrodynamic interactions between plasma flow and magnetic fields to generate thrust; magnetosphere inflation by plasma injection and the interaction between solar wind and magnetosphere. These magnetohydrodynamic interactions have to be analyzed to clarify the feasibility. In this study, those magnetohydrodynamic interactions were simulated numerically. Structures of flow field and magnetic field around Magneto Plasma Sail were investigated in detail, and the momentum transfer from the solar wind to the spacecraft through the magnetosphere was evaluated. The method of plasma injection, in paticular, flow rate, flow velocity, directions of injection and so on were optimized to create the large magnetosphere by the smallest energy of plasma injection and then the performances of Magneto Plasma Sail were estimated. The feasibility of Magneto Plasma Sail for deep space explorations was discussed.
- Abstract document