Propulsion with a solar sail attached to a superconducting current loop

Paper number

IAC-22,C4,9,6,x71493

Author

Prof. Roman Ya. Kezerashvili, United States, New York City College of Technology, The City University of New York

Coauthor

Prof. Vladimir Ya. Kezerashvili, United States, New York City College of Technology

Year

2022

Abstract

\begin{document}

We present a new idea of the deployment and stretching of the circular solar
sail attached to the superconducting current loop. It is predicted that a
superconducting current loop can deploy and stretch the circular solar sail
membrane [1,2]. The magnetic field induced by the superconducting current
loop and elastic properties of a circular solar sail membrane and wire loop
are analyzed within a strict mathematical approach based on classical
electrodynamics and the theory of elasticity. The formulas for the wire and
sail membrane stresses and strains caused by the current in the
superconducting wire are derived. The analytical expressions can be applied
to a wide range of solar sail sizes. Numerical calculations for the sail of
radius up to 60 m attached to a superconducting wire with different
engineering current densities and made of Be, Aluminized Mylar, Kapton, CPI
membranes of different thicknesses are presented.

Our study reveals that if the sail membrane is coated by heat-sensitive
materials that undergo thermal desorption from a solid to a gas phase [3]
the sail can be accelerated to the cruise velocity up to 20-40 AU/year. The
vicinity of the Kuiper Belt Objects can be reached in less than 1-3 years,
while the Sun's gravity focus can be reached in 13-25 years [4]. Our results
propose the design and construction of the circular-shaped solar sail of $%
\sim $ 2,000 m$^{2}$ area that can be deployed and stretched by the attached
superconducting wire.

\begin{thebibliography}{9}
\bibitem{RK2021} V. Ya. Kezerashvili, R. Ya. Kezerashvili, On deployment of
solar sail with superconducting current-carrying wire, Acta Astronautica
189, 196--198 (2021).

\bibitem{PK2022} V. Ya. Kezerashvili, R. Ya. Kezerashvili, Solar sail with
superconducting circular current-carrying wire, Adv. Space Res. 69, 664--676
(2022).

\bibitem{RK2015} R. Ya. Kezerashvili, Space exploration with a solar sail
coated by materials that undergo thermal desorption. Acta Astronaut. 117,
231-237 (2015).

\bibitem{RK2019} E. Ancona and R. Ya. Kezerashvili, Extrasolar space
exploration by a solar sail accelerated via thermal desorption of coating.
Adv. Space Res. 63, 2021-2034 (2019).
\end{thebibliography}

\end{document}

Abstract document

IAC-22,C4,9,6,x71493.brief.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-22,C4,9,6,x71493.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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