Rockets-Micro thrusters

State of the art

microthrusters
DARPA + Tanner

research
Micro-thrusters are
miniature actuators

Rockets-Micro thrusters

Micro-thrusters are miniature actuators created using small

cavities, rocket propellant, and low energy igniters.
Work like Space Shuttle solid boosters, but are 1000s of times smaller

Individual micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) thrusters

size: poppy seed-sized cell fueled with lead styphnate propellant, fired

more than 20 times at 1-second intervals

each thruster delivered 0.0001 Newton seconds of impulse.

MEMS design, based on silicon chip fabrication technology, offers

several advantages over conventional thrusters
no moving parts
utilizes a variety of propellants
is scalable
eliminates the need for tanks, fuel lines and valves, and fully

integrates the structure of the satellite with the propulsion to power it.

Rockets-Micro thrusters

MEMS micro-thruster arrays are fabricated as a three-layer

silicon and glass sandwich,
middle layer consisting of multiple small propellant cells sealed with

a rupturable diaphragm on one side and an ignitor on the other.

Each cell is a separate thruster, and when ignited, delivers one
impulse bit.
Delivering propulsion in discrete increments by igniting thrusters in
controlled sequences has lent the technology the name "digital
propulsion."

Rockets-Micro thrusters

State of art
Cavity now built of aluminum to withstand higher pressures
Cavity is 4mm per side
Latest micro-thruster design may generate up to 40 mN-seconds of

impulse by combusting 35 milligrams of propellant primarily composed

of black powder.
Isp=116 s

Will be used for small satellites, guided munitions etc.

Orbital Mechanics
Last time we discussed burnout velocitywhy is

that important?
Velocities on order of 7.9 km/s are needed to place

satellites in Earth orbit

Interplanetary vehicles need 11 km/s to get out of Earths
gravity

Orbital Mechanics

Starts with Kepler who developed the three laws of planetary

motion
First: The orbit of each planet is an ellipse, with the sun at
a focus

Second: The line joining the planet to the sun sweeps out

equal areas in equal times

Parameters of Elliptic Orbit

Orbital Mechanics
Third: The square of the period,t (time for 1 orbit) of a

planet is proportional to the cube of its mean distance

from the sun (semi-major axis, a, of the ellipse)

Review Example Problem 8.2 on pg. 675 for period

calculations
Newton:

F ma mr

Law of gravity:

GMm r
F 2
r r

Orbital Mechanics

GMm r
F 2
Law of gravity:
r r
G is gravitational constant
Vector r is distance
M, m are masses of the two bodies
The potential energy of a body of mass m found

some distance away from a body of mass M (>m) is:

GMm

The kinetic energy of the small body is (in a polar

coordinate system):

2
1
1
2
2

T mV m r r
2
2

Orbital Mechanics

The motion of the space vehicle in the direction is the conservation of

angular momentum

m r 2 const.

angular _ momentum I

The orbit equation : gives the orbital or trajectory motion of satellite or planet

e eccentricity
e=0; path is circle
e<1; path is an ellipse
e>1; path is hyperbola
e=1; path is parabola

p
r
1 e cos( C )

r
2

h is angular momentum per unit mass is a constant =

p=h2/k2 e=A(h2/k2) all these are determined from burnout conditions
G*M=k2

Review Example Problem 8.1 on page 668 for trajectory calculations

Orbital Mechanics
e eccentricity
e=0; path is circle
e<1; path is an ellipse
e>1; path is hyperbola
e=1; path is parabola