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| Paper: |
Physics of Thrust Prediction of the Solar Wind Electric Sail Propulsion System |
| Volume: |
429, Numerical Modeling of Space Plasma Flows, Astronum-2009 |
| Page: |
187 |
| Authors: |
Janhunen, P. |
| Abstract: |
The electric solar wind sail is a newly invented way for using the
solar wind dynamic pressure for providing thrust for a spacecraft. An
electric sail spacecraft deploys long, thin, conducting tethers which
are centrifugally stretched and kept in a high positive potential by
an onboard electron gun. Scientifically, the essential problem is to
predict the thrust force per unit length that the plasma stream exerts
on the tether when the tether is kept in a 15-40 kV voltage. Recently,
theoretical arguments were put forward which suggest that trapped
electrons are almost completely absent from the electric sail. In view
of these arguments, we make here the assumption that trapped electrons
are absent and proceed to derive a simplified analytical thrust
formula. This formula predicts about five times higher electric sail
thrust than the original estimates which included trapped electrons. |
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