NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) 20000021228: Interstellar Propulsion Concepts Assessment

by: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Publication date: 2000-02-17

Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), ASSESSMENTS, PROPULSION SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONS, SPACECRAFT CONFIGURATIONS, PROPULSION SYSTEM PERFORMANCE, SOLAR COLLECTORS, ELECTRICITY, ION PROPULSION, KUIPER BELT, SOLAR SYSTEM, SAMPLING, MISSION PLANNING, SPACE PROBES, Forward, Robert L.,

Collection: NASA_NTRS_Archive; additional_collections

Language: English

NASA is investigating the feasibility of conducting extra-solar and interstellar missions over the next 10 to 50 years. An assessment of technologies supporting these near and far term objectives is required. To help meet these objectives the Principal Investigator assessed the feasibility of candidate propulsion systems for the proposed 'Interstellar Probe', a mission to send a spacecraft to the Heliopause at 250 AU and beyond.