NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION TELS WO 2-4155

0 1Z Vj - WASHINGTON, D.C. 20546 WO 3-6925

FOR RELEASE TUESDAY
RELEASE NO: 64-167 July 14, 1964

NASA TO LAUNCH SERT I SPACECRAFT

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration will

launch the 375-pound SERT I (Space Electric Rocket Test)
spacecraft on a sub-orbital flight from Wallops Island, Va.,
no earlier than July 18.

A four-stage solid-fuel Scout rocket will be the launch-

ing vehicle.

(hThe experiment will test for the first time in space two
NASA electrostatic (ion) engines.

Primary purpose is to verify that the ion engines can

produce thrust in space. This is possible only if the posi-
tive ion exhaust beam can be effectively neutralized. Methods
of neutralizing the beam appear to work in ground vacuum tank
tests but must be verified in space.

Neutralizing is accomplished by injecting a stream of

electrons into the ion beam as it rushes out of the back of
the engine. Ground tests are not conclusive because in a vacuum
chamber it is possible for electrons to be emitted from the a

sides of the chamber.

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If data from SERT I indicate that beam neutralization

is completely effective, the development of
ion thrustors
for space missions may continue in ground vacuum
chambers with
confidence. If beam neutralization is of limited effective-
ness, a new program of vacuum chamber and flight
tests may be
undertaken.

The SERT I flight test is part of the program

being car-
ried out by the NASA Headauarters Office of
Advanced Research
and Technology. It is aimed at providing research
information
and tecnnology required for future development
of electric
engines.

NASA's Lewis Research Center manages the SERT

RCA, Astro-Electronics Division, Princeton,
project and 0
New Jersey, is the
SERT I payload integration contractor.

Since electric engines exhaust their propellant

at speeds
much greater than conventional chemical rockets,
they become
contenders to propel future deep space missions.
This increased
exhaust velocity gives them a greater "specific
impulse" -- a
miles-per-gallon-type figure for rockets.

SERT's test engines have exhaust velocities

greater than
100,000 miles per hour. For research use,
the thrust of the
two test engines, .001 of a pound and .006
of a pound, is suf-
ficient to study the problem of ion beam neutralization.
Q
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 The engine, or "thrustor", is only part of the propulsion
system which includes a power generating source, a control sys-
tem and propellant.

The projected uses of electric engines for deep space

missions depeni:s on the availability of light weight nuclear
electric power systems in the high kilowatts to multimegawatts
power range and their ability to operate reliably for one to
three years.

A more immediate use probably will be for attitude con-

trol or station-keeping of satellites, spacecraft or space
stations, wheze low power levels are required. Thus, solar cells
or isotope power generation systems would be able to provide
the electrical energy needed for electrical engine operation.

Three types of electric engines are being studied in the

OART program:
1. Electrostatic (ion) engines in which atoms (or heavy
particles) are electrically charged and then accelerated by
electrostatic fields (voltages).

2. Electrothermal (arc jet and resistojet) engines, in

which a propellant is heated by electric power and then ac-
celerated by thermal expansion through a nozzle, similar to
the chemical rocket.

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3. Electromagnetic (plasma) engines, in which the pro-

pellant is ionized into an electrically conducting gas and ac-
celerated by electromagnetic forces.

The electrostatic (ion) engine is the only one that must

be fully tested in a space environment to verify ground test
results.

SERT I SPACECRAFT

The SERT I spacecraft is spin-stabilized and contains two

ion thrustor engines of different types driven by a single
battery supply.

One engine. using mercury as a propellant, is an electroQ

bombardment ion engine, built by the Lewis Research Center.
The other engine, built by Hughes Airciaft Co.'s. Hughes
Research Laboratories, Malibu, Calif., is a contact ionization
thrustor and uses cesium for a propellant.

The engines are mounted so that their thrust will change

the spin rate of the spacecraft permitting engineers on the
ground to calculate the thrust produced by the two engines.

The Hughes engine is scheduled to run for 20 minutes cau-

sing the spin rate of the spacecraft to decrease, and then the
Lewis engine is programmed to operate for another 20 minutes
to increase the spin rate. Q
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Other spacecraft and engine measurements will be taken for
a comparison between vacuum tank and flight data.

SERT I will reach about 2,500 miles altitude to give about

ififty minutes of flight time. Trajectory inclina-
tion is not critical. The payload will not be recovered.
(Fig.l illustrates the trajectory).

About two minutes after launch just before third stage

ignition the 34-inch diameter heat shield is ejected. The third
stage ignitesto spin the payload and fourth stage.

Spin rate at fourth stage burnout (about T plus 3 minutes)

is about 112 rpm. About two minutes after fourth stage burn-
out, the separation system will release the payload.
Tne fourth stage is then tumbled away from the spacecraft.

ployed and the Hushes engine pod is opened.

The basic structure of the SERT-I spacecraft is a flat,

circular baseplate supported on a cylindrical pedestal (Fig. 2).
The baseplate has a ribbed understructure and is machined from
a forged magnesium. The pedestal is clamped to a conical adap-
ter that attaches the spacecraft to the Scout fourth stage.
The adapter is of machined magnesium. Explosive bolts are fired
to separate the spacecraft from the Scout fourth stage.

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A welded aluminum box frame is mounted on the top center

of the baseplate. In this structure and in the pedestal below
it are mounted the basic spacecraft gear: the programmer, the
power distributor, the telemetry signal conditioning and switch-
ing gear, and the command receiver. The heavy components,
such as batteries and power converters, are mounted on both
sides of the baseplate alongside the central frame and pedestal.

The engine mounting arms are hinged near the outer edge of
the baseplate. The deployment linkage is locked to the central
pedestal and is released by an explosively actuated latch.
The rate of engine deployment is limited by hydraulic dampers.

Components that are mounted on top of the baseplate are

tied structurally to the center frame. Power converter housings
that are mounted to the lower side of the baseplate are tied
to the center pedestal. These ties are used to reduce vibration.

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 ENGINE CHARACTERISTICS

HUGHES LEWIS
Propellant cesium mercury
Accelerator volts 4500 2500
Beam current 0.045 amps 0.275 amps
Thrust 0.0011 pounds 0.00637 pounds
Specific impulse 8050 sec. 4900 sec.
Exhaust velocity of ions 176,000 mph 107,000 mph
Power output 193 watts 680 watts
Power input 600 watts 1400 watts
Engine efficiency 32.2% 48.5%
Maximum change in space- -2.45 rpm +14.1 rpm
craft spin rate
0 Weight 13.15 pounds 11.60 pounds
Overall engine diameter 4.0 inches 7.5 inches

TEE HUGHES CONTACT-IONIZATION ENGINE

A schematic diagram of the contact-ionization thrustor is

shown in Fig. 3. This engine uses cesium, a soft, silvery metal
which ionizes readily, as a propellant. The cesium is vaporized
in the electrically heated boiler. The vapor flows through an
electrically heated porous tungsten ionizer where the neutral
cesium atoms are ionized when they touch the hot tungsten sur-
face. The electrons stripped from each cesium atom are trapped
in the tungsten and drawn away through wires by the electric
g'->generator.

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__
________ ___
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Regulating the boiler temperature provides propellant feed °

control while a solenoid valve between the boiler and the
ionizer allows the propellant flow to be turned on or off

rapidly.

There are three electrodes-- focus, accelerator and decelera-

tor. The focus electrode is held at 4500 volts above space-
craft potential, while the accelerator electrode is at 2000
volts below spacecraft. The decelerator electrode is at space-
craft potential.

The cesium ions created at the ionizer are drawn away and
accelerated by the difference in voltage. The potential differ-
ence of 4500 volts between the decelerator and the ionizer con- 0
trols the final ion jet velocity. The electrons drawn through
the electric generator from the ionizer are emiitted from a tan-
talum filament downstream of the decelerator electrode to neu-
tralize the beam.

Metals in a vacuum tend to release absorbed gas molecules

from their surfaces. A metal engine in space would "outgas"
for several minutes after lift-off. Such stray molecules around
an electric engine could cause serious electrical arcing pro-
blems. To prevent this, the Hughes engine is mounted on the
spacecraft in a cylindrical magnesium pod from which air is
removed during launch operations. Launching the Hughes engine
in a vacuum pod allows it to begin immediate operation in space 0
with no outgassing problems.

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The Lewis engine will not encounter any outgassing problem

because it will be in space ar-ut 20 minutes before it begins
operating.

THE LEWIS ELEChON-BOMBARDMENT ENGINE

The electron-bombardment engine, built by the NASA-Lewis

Resea~rch Center, uses mercury as a propellant. The mercury is
vaporized in an electrically heated boiler and flows from there
to the ionization chamber as shown in the generalized schematic
of Fig. 4. In the -hamber, electrons are emitted from a tanta-
lum filament cathode or negative pole. These electrons move
outward from the central cathode toward the cylindrical 3heet
anode that is 50 volts higher than the cathode.

As the electrons move outward, they collide with an ionize

mercury atoms. A coil around the ionization chamber creates a
magnetic field that forces the electrons to move in a complex
path from cathode filament to anode kor positively charged)
walls. This complex path increases the likelihood of electron-
atom colli ion, thus increasing the number of ions formed.

An electric field downstream draws the newly formed ions

Lrom the ionization chamber. A perforated screen electrode
covers the downstream end of the fnnization chamber and an ac-
celerator electrode with matched 3rforations is located about
l/-Sth in. downstream of the screen electrode. The ionization

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chamber and the screen electrode are at a potential of 2500

volts above the spacecraft potential and the accelerator elec-
trode is 2000 volts below. As in the Hughes engine, this po-
tential difference accelerates the ions to a high exhaust
velocity. The ions accelerated out of the engine are neitra-
lized by electrons from a tantalum neutralizer filament.

POWER SUPPLIES

Although silver-zinc batteries provide the power needed

for the SERT I flight, these batteries could not be readily
packaged to provide the high voltages and circuit action needed
by the engines. Converters had to be developed to change the
relatively low battery voltages to the kilovolt range and to
provide the control functions t'lat are required by the engines.
Severe surges of current created by arcing in and around the
engines can destroy components in the converters. Protection
had to be built into the power supply to prevent this type of
breakdown.

Electrostatic shielding in the transformers protects the

converters; diodes limit the voltage to which the chopper tran-
sistors can be subjected; a control system and a set of resis-
tors together limit the current that can flow from converter to
engine. For protection against arcing within the converters or
in high voltage connectors, all high voltage sections are pres-
surized and all conductors terminating at high voltage points
are covered with moulded insulation at the Junction.

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0 INSTRUMENTATION

All data except thrust will be sampled rather than con-

tinuously measured. Except for the thrust detection system,
all on-board and ground station requirements can be met by con-
ventional FM/FM equipment.

Special instrumentation carried for diagnosis of thrustor

performance consists of a beam power probe that will sweep
across the discharge beam of the Lewis electron-bombardment
thrustor and an electric field meter that will give a qualita-
tive indication of beam neutralization.

In addition to the usual function of providing in-flight

0 control of the spacecraft, the SERT I command system will demon-
strate the feasibility of transmitting radio commands to a
spacecraft propelled by an ion engine. It is possible that
radio frequencies generated by arc or plasma oscillations can
either saturate the command receiver or cause a false command.
However, through the design of the spacecraft receiver and use
of a high wattage transmitter this possibility is considered
remote.

THRUST DETECTION SYSTEMS

The thrust detection systems will continuously monitor

the angular momentum or spin rate of the spacecraft. This
thrust detection system is made up three independent but com-
plementary subsystems.

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The thrust of the contact ionization engine is expected

to cause the spacecraft spin rate to change about 0.14 per
cent per minute and that of the electron-bombardment engine
about 0.67 per cent per minute.

Only very low instrumentation accuracy would be necessary

if thrust were continuously produced for the whole time alloted
to each engine. However; the SERT I spacecraft carries instru-
mentation of the highest accuracy to assure thrust measure-
ments in case of deviations from expected thrustor performance
or failure of engine or spacecraft after a short interval of
thrust.

Two of the thrust detection systems are solar cell spin

period detectors. Each of these uses a silicon photocell housed
behind a narrow slit. Mounted 1800 apart, the slit and cell
combination will generate one pulse each time the spacecraft
revolves and the detector sweeps past the Sun. For pure spin,
the system error in spin period measurement is expected to be
less than 0.1 per cent in the observation of a single revolution.

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The third thrust detection system aboard the SERT I is an

accelerometer which senses acceleration due to spin. The SERT
spacecraft is dynamically balanced for stable spin. When the
arms deploy, and the pod cover is blown off the Hughes engine,
the spacecraftt s center of gravity will shift and its spin will
change. But, deploying the engine arms will cause a precession
or wobble of the spacecraft which will take some time to damp
out. The accelerometer will provide information about the
spacecraft's motion around all three principal axes. Thus,
data from the accelerometer subsystem will describe any unex-
pected, complex motions.

The accelerometer output frequency for pure spin with no

engine thrusting should be about 200 cycles per second. With
the Hughes engine in operation, this accelerometer output should
change a little more than 0.008 cps every second or a total of
10 cps over the total time of Hughes operation. This is equi-
valent to a change in accelerometer period of 0.195 micro-
seconds every second.

w lith the Lewis engine thrusting, the accelerometer outputa

will change a little more than 0.04 cps every second or a total
of 58 cps over the total time of Lewis operation. The change
in accelerometer period equivalent to this is 1.12 micro-seconds
every second. The accelerometer subsystem also has an analog
output that, under ideal spin conditions, can give thrust measure-
J) ments in real time.

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The sensitivity of the accelerometer and the precision of

the electronic counters at the receiving station ensure that
thrust from an engine burst of as little as 10 seconds could
be measured within an accuracy of 0.00005 pounds.

SCOUT LAUNCH VEHICLE

The SERT I flight will mark first use at NASA's Wallops

Station of an improved erector-launcher facility for Scout,
similar to one which is used at the Air Force Western Test
Range. The new facility reduces the time the Scout must be in
the launcher from three weeks to less than a week.

With the new facility, Scout vehicle components are built

up on a transporter in an adjacent assembly area and then moved
to the launcher, which is 85 feet high, weighs 20 tons and is
hinged at the base. A 120-foot wheeled shelter enclosed the
launcher and the Scout vehicle in horizontal position to pro-
vide heating or air conditioning as needed.

The beam of the launcher is raised to a vertical position

by two screw Jacks and the entire launcher and Scout can be ro-
tated through 1400 to the correct firing azimuth. Removal of
the shelter, raising the launcher and setting the azimuth angle
begin about 30 minutes prior to flight.

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The basic Scout launch vehicle is a multi-stage, guided

booster using four solid propellant rocket motors capable of
carrying payloads of varying sizes on orbital, space probe or
reentry missions. Developed by the Langley Research Center,
the Scout is the only operational solid propellant launch ve-
hicle with orbital experience.

The four Scout motors, Algol, Castor, Antares, and Altair,

are interlocked with transition sections that contain the gui-
dance, control-ignition, instrumentation systems, separation
mechanisms, and the spin motors needed to orient the fourth
stage. Guidance is provided by an autopilot and control achieved
O by a combination of aerodynamic surfaces, jet vanes, and hydro-
gen peroxide jets. Scout is approximately 72 feet long and
weighs approximately 40,000 pounds at lift off.

The Scout is capable of placing a 240 pound payload into

a 300 mile orbit or carrying a 100 pound scientific package
approximately 7,000 miles away from Earth. Launching sites on
both coasts of the United States allow either polar or east-
west Scout orbital launches. Because of its relative economy,
reliability and flexibility, the Scout is used for small space
research payloads by the NASA, Department of Defense, and for
international programs. Langley Research Center continues to
furnish Scout project management services.

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TIE SERT I TEA4

The Spacecraft TDchnology Division of the Lewis Research

Center developed the con'I spacecraft. Harold Gold is head
of the Spacecraft Branch. 7.aymaond J. Rulis is the SERT I pro-
ject manager at Lewis, and James Lazar, chief of Electric Thrus-
tor Systems at NASA Headquarters, is program manager. Eugene
D. Schult, is head of the Scout Project Office, at Langley
Research Center.

Lawrence Golden is project engineer for Radio Corp. of

America, Astro-Electronics Division, Princeton, N.J., and George
Work is head of the Flight Systems Managp--nt- Section, Hughes
Research Laboratories, Mnalibu, Cal;.-

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0!l
 027:10 HUGHES ENG0:E OFF

0,27:15 LEVIS ENGINE ON

/ 05:06 HUGHES POD DOOR OPENS
05:04 ENGINES DEPLOYED

05:02 FOURTH STAGE / PAYLOAD SEPARATION

-> 53:05 LEWIS

' TESTING COMPLETE

p01:58 SHROUD EJECTED

/ 01:55 SECOND STAGE BURNOUT

I
LAUNCH VEHICLE SCOUT

Ist STAGE ALGO Il-A

2nd STAGE CASTOR I
3rd STAGE (MOTOR) ANTARES X259
41h STAGE (MOTOR) ALTAIR X258

MAXIMUM ALTITUDE 2500 MILES

MAXIMUM RANGE 2000 MILES

LIFT-OFF ZERO-G TIME 53 MINUTES SPLASH DOWN

HUGHES EXPERIMENT TIME 20 MINUTES
LEWIS EXPERIMENT TIME 20 M)NUTES

Fig. I

- . - - - .-. - ~ - -- -- -
 ,-HEAT SHIELD

SERT PAYLOAD-%

I I '-SCOUT VEHICLE
"FOURTH STAGE

SCOUT VEHIC~LE
THIRD STAGE--,

QFigure 2.. spacecr~aft in launch configuration.Q

 HOT
TUXG2TEN 45000

LNEUTRAL -CESIU. IONS5

BOILER CESIUML - _

ATOS -ELECTRONS

HlTh SOLENOID
VALVE

ELECTRIC GENERATO

Fig. 3 - Schema tic drawing of contact -ionization thrustor.

 +2500 VOLTS
-2000 VOLTS
PROPELLANT

* ~MERCURY IONS

ELECTRONS
IONIZER

TANTALU M
NEUTRALIZER
AT SPACECRAFT
POTENTIAL
ELECTRIC-

GENERATOR

thrustor.
Fig. 4 - Schematic drawing of electron bombardment