An electric solar wind sail (E-sail) is a propellantless propulsion system that generates thrust in the interplanetary space by extracting momentum from the stream of solar wind ions by means of a number of long, electrically charged tethers. In its usual configuration, the E-sail consists of a series of radially deployed tethers that belong to a fundamental plane, typically referred to as "nominal plane". Specifically, the tether assembly is unfolded and maintained stretched via centrifugal force by rotating the spacecraft around a spin axis, which must be suitably oriented during the flight to govern, although within certain limits, the direction of the thrust vector induced by the E-sail. In this article, different E-sail geometric configurations are analyzed, in which the addition of azimuthal conducting tethers to the radial ones gives the E-sail a spider web shape, thus allowing its moment of inertia to be reduced significantly compared with a conventional configuration of equal propulsive performance. More precisely, this article presents an analytical model that enables a quick description of both the thrust vector and the inertia characteristics of a web-shaped E-sail.

Analytical Tool for Thrust Vector Description of a Web-Shaped E-Sail

Marco Bassetto
Primo
Conceptualization
;
Alessandro A. Quarta
Secondo
Methodology
;
Giovanni Mengali
Ultimo
Writing – Review & Editing
2024-01-01

Abstract

An electric solar wind sail (E-sail) is a propellantless propulsion system that generates thrust in the interplanetary space by extracting momentum from the stream of solar wind ions by means of a number of long, electrically charged tethers. In its usual configuration, the E-sail consists of a series of radially deployed tethers that belong to a fundamental plane, typically referred to as "nominal plane". Specifically, the tether assembly is unfolded and maintained stretched via centrifugal force by rotating the spacecraft around a spin axis, which must be suitably oriented during the flight to govern, although within certain limits, the direction of the thrust vector induced by the E-sail. In this article, different E-sail geometric configurations are analyzed, in which the addition of azimuthal conducting tethers to the radial ones gives the E-sail a spider web shape, thus allowing its moment of inertia to be reduced significantly compared with a conventional configuration of equal propulsive performance. More precisely, this article presents an analytical model that enables a quick description of both the thrust vector and the inertia characteristics of a web-shaped E-sail.
2024
Bassetto, Marco; Quarta, Alessandro A.; Mengali, Giovanni
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11568/1273708
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