NASA Looks to Solar to Power New Generation of Spacecraft
2021-12-06
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1The American space agency NASA recently launched its DART spacecraft to test a method to defend Earth against threatening asteroids.
2NASA says the DART mission is also testing several new technologies.
3One of them is a propulsion system that gets power from the sun.
4The technology is called solar electric propulsion.
5Since the system uses solar power instead of fuel-based engines, it does not need large, heavy fuel tanks.
6If the technology is successful, it could help power a new generation of spacecraft.
7NASA officials have said solar electric propulsion can be important to the agency's plans for future exploration.
8This could include planned missions to take astronauts to the moon and Mars.
9The solar-powered system included on the DART mission is known as NEXT-C.
10It was developed by NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio and built by rocket maker Aerojet Rocketdyne.
11The technology is based on systems used on NASA spacecraft in the past that carried out asteroid exploration missions.
12Scientists working on NEXT-C development said the new system is expected to be "about three times as powerful" as ones used in the past.
13Most propulsion systems use fuels to produce chemical reactions to provide thrust, moving the spacecraft.
14NEXT-C is a propulsion system that uses electricity to convert xenon gas into xenon ions.
15As the ions are released, they provide the force to move the spacecraft.
16Large solar collectors produce electricity from sunlight.
17NEXT-C is not the main propulsion system for DART.
18It was included in the mission to test its effectiveness.
19However, the technology will be the main propulsion system for the upcoming NASA mission called Psyche.
20The Psyche spacecraft will travel to a metal asteroid orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter.
21NASA says it expects to launch Psyche in August.
22The spacecraft is to travel about 2.4 billion kilometers over three-and-a-half years to reach the asteroid.
23Once in orbit, the mission team will examine data gathered by Psyche's science instruments.
24Scientists believe the asteroid may be part of the metallic core of an early planet.
25They say the asteroid could have separated during violent crashes that happened during our solar system's early formation.
26NASA says once Psyche separates from its launch vehicle,
27it will depend on solar electric propulsion to reach its target.
28The spacecraft is also expected to get a gravitational push when it passes by Mars.
29The space agency says Psyche will be the first spacecraft to use the solar propulsion thrusters beyond the orbit of our moon.
30NASA describes the thrust as "gentle,"
31but strong enough to propel the spacecraft on its long trip.
32NASA said testing has shown that the system is highly effective.
33Scientists estimate that Psyche's thrusters "could operate for years without running out of fuel."
34Lindy Elkins-Tanton, of Arizona State University, is a NASA investigator and leads the Psyche mission.
35"Even in the beginning, when we were first designing the mission in 2012,
36we were talking about solar electric propulsion as part of the plan," she said in a statement.
37"Without it, we wouldn't have the Psyche mission."
38Paulo Lozano directs the space propulsion laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
39He told MIT Technology Review that he thinks Psyche can help create a path to new solar-powered space exploration.
40The technology could permit longer and less costly missions.
41"It actually opens up the possibility to explore and to commercialize space in a way that we haven't seen before," Lozano said.
42I'm Bryan Lynn.
1The American space agency NASA recently launched its DART spacecraft to test a method to defend Earth against threatening asteroids. 2NASA says the DART mission is also testing several new technologies. One of them is a propulsion system that gets power from the sun. The technology is called solar electric propulsion. 3Since the system uses solar power instead of fuel-based engines, it does not need large, heavy fuel tanks. If the technology is successful, it could help power a new generation of spacecraft. 4NASA officials have said solar electric propulsion can be important to the agency's plans for future exploration. This could include planned missions to take astronauts to the moon and Mars. 5The solar-powered system included on the DART mission is known as NEXT-C. It was developed by NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio and built by rocket maker Aerojet Rocketdyne. 6The technology is based on systems used on NASA spacecraft in the past that carried out asteroid exploration missions. Scientists working on NEXT-C development said the new system is expected to be "about three times as powerful" as ones used in the past. 7Most propulsion systems use fuels to produce chemical reactions to provide thrust, moving the spacecraft. NEXT-C is a propulsion system that uses electricity to convert xenon gas into xenon ions. As the ions are released, they provide the force to move the spacecraft. Large solar collectors produce electricity from sunlight. 8NEXT-C is not the main propulsion system for DART. It was included in the mission to test its effectiveness. However, the technology will be the main propulsion system for the upcoming NASA mission called Psyche. 9The Psyche spacecraft will travel to a metal asteroid orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter. NASA says it expects to launch Psyche in August. The spacecraft is to travel about 2.4 billion kilometers over three-and-a-half years to reach the asteroid. 10Once in orbit, the mission team will examine data gathered by Psyche's science instruments. Scientists believe the asteroid may be part of the metallic core of an early planet. They say the asteroid could have separated during violent crashes that happened during our solar system's early formation. 11NASA says once Psyche separates from its launch vehicle, it will depend on solar electric propulsion to reach its target. The spacecraft is also expected to get a gravitational push when it passes by Mars. 12The space agency says Psyche will be the first spacecraft to use the solar propulsion thrusters beyond the orbit of our moon. NASA describes the thrust as "gentle," but strong enough to propel the spacecraft on its long trip. 13NASA said testing has shown that the system is highly effective. Scientists estimate that Psyche's thrusters "could operate for years without running out of fuel." 14Lindy Elkins-Tanton, of Arizona State University, is a NASA investigator and leads the Psyche mission. "Even in the beginning, when we were first designing the mission in 2012, we were talking about solar electric propulsion as part of the plan," she said in a statement. "Without it, we wouldn't have the Psyche mission." 15Paulo Lozano directs the space propulsion laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He told MIT Technology Review that he thinks Psyche can help create a path to new solar-powered space exploration. The technology could permit longer and less costly missions. "It actually opens up the possibility to explore and to commercialize space in a way that we haven't seen before," Lozano said. 16I'm Bryan Lynn. 17Bryan Lynn wrote this story based on reports from NASA and MIT Technology Review. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 18We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 19__________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21asteroid - n. a rocky object that goes around the sun like a planet 22mission - n. an important project or trip, especially involving space travel 23propulsion - n. the force produced by a system for moving, or propelling, a vehicle 24thrust - n. upward push or force 25core - n. the center part of a planet 26gentle - adj. not strong or severe 27commercialize - v. to organize something with the goal of making a profit