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The feasibility of an advanced Stirling radioisotope generator (ASRG) powered airship for the near
surface exploration of Titan was evaluated. The analysis did not consider the complete mission only the
operation of the airship within the atmosphere of Titan. The baseline airship utilized two ASRG systems
with a total of four general-purpose heat s...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... atmospheric density at the surface is 5 times that of Earth and the pressure is 1.5 times greater than that at Earth's surface. A diagram of the atmosphere is shown in Figure 2 and select properties of Titan are given in Table 1. Because of the thick atmosphere, the pressure and density at the surface is greater than that on Earth. ...
Context 2
... is also lost from the electronics and payload portion of the enclosure to the ASRG portion of the enclosure since it is held at a much lower temperature (T ia ). This heat loss is given by Equation (3.29). ...
Context 3
... heat loss to the atmosphere through the ASRG portion of the enclosure is calculated in a similar fashion as that for electronics section and is given by Equation (3.47 The thermal resistance terms for the different material layers that comprise the ASRG section of the payload enclosure are all similar to those used for the electronics portion, given by Equation (3.29). ...
Citations
... Many studies have been carried out previously to survey the feasibility of stratospheric solar-powered airships. For any type of long endurance vehicle, Colozza and colleagues [4][5][6] expatiated that technologies such as thin film solar arrays, fuel cells, electrolyzers and power management were the key elements in the feasibility of achieving long duration high altitude flight. A number of factors such as the operational environment and efficiencies of the power system components which can influence the energy balance of a stratospheric solar-powered airship were listed by Colozza. ...
An optimization model of the optimum area of solar array for a stratospheric solar-powered airship is developed. The objective of the optimization is to reduce the mass of the solar array on an airship by keeping the equilibrium between output power and weight of solar array as a constraint. Based on several parameters of the typical existing airships, the optimization works are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the optimization model. Furthermore, the effects of the wind velocity, airship’s latitude and working date on the optimum area are analyzed in detail. The results of this study demonstrate that the optimization model is a good tool for the preliminary design of solar array on an airship. It can also be found that these influence factors have significant influences on the optimum area, and these factors should be considered together to obtain an optimum and balanced design due to the strong dependence on each other.
Since the `Naissance de l'univers' or birth of Universe, colonization of different planets has always amused the minds of those whose curiosity knew no bounds. The expeditious vandalization of Earth in the realms of environment, population and ecosystem have made it imperative to search for a competitive candidate. Planets and moons have been a prominent area of study for exploration and viable wealth of resources amongst scientists. But before colonizing any region, it is indispensable to examine the area for harboring life. As the Saturn's moon Titan possesses a mammoth resemblance to Earth, an attempt to explore Titan by humans for a short-haul mission prior to settlement of a complete civilization is framed to prospect systematically. The biggest cloud on the horizon lies in sending the first astronauts to Titan for a short duration to explore and investigate. Titan has to be studied deeply in the regimes of environment features, surface aids and characteristics to accomplish the mission of landing on it. The paper encompasses the hold of such a spacecraft with humans encapsulating the compelling needs to drive and sustain within it. A didactic approach of space propulsion, space dynamics and biological outreach has been embarked for the survival of the crew. The spacecraft is propelled using Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) which generates a thrust of around 5.4 N at 200 kW total RF power to reach Titan sooner than by any other means. With the aid of Magnetic Shielding, the crew is protected from the harmful effects of the Solar, Cosmic and other radiations. Cryo-hibernation pods can further be employed to reduce muscle atrophy of the crew members. Additionally, the assistance of resources, spacesuit and surface characteristics of Titan have been manifested for the humans to accumulate data during the in-situ exploration and scientific experimentation to be conducted on Titan, later returning back to spacecraft in orbit, and then, Earth. It will also serve as a dual impetus of creating an ideal spacecraft for the journey along with the potential to reverse engineer it for other missions and aids to counter the adverse effects on the human body. Thus, while the cynosure of this paper lies in the journey of humans from Earth to Titan in a spacecraft, it also delves into the technical assistance on Titan, while remaining in the Saturn's orbit.
