IEEE Access (Jan 2019)
Mass Driver Design Traveling Earth to the Moon
Abstract
In this article, the flight of a mass driver was designed for launch from the Earth with Electro Magnetic Space Launching System (EMSLS). Then the orbit exit from the Earth at 185 km and orbit entry the Moon at 100kmwere examined with respect to change of trajectories by using chemical fuel and the engine in the mass driver. Electromagnetically launched mass drivers should orbit with a specified orbital velocity at a designated altitude. In this paper, the energy is transferred externally to a mass driver throughout the flight path the electromagnetic coil system called multistage (EMSLS) designated in order to achieve the specified orbital velocity. The mass driver is synchronously accelerated by a voltage through the capacitors which are used for storing energy. This energy is transferred through a switching inductor to the circuit of the mass driver so that the mass driver is launched into the orbit with a muzzle velocity. However, this fact creates high air drag energy losses due to atmospheric conditions and high velocity obtained in EMSLS. Thus, in the mass driver at 21km altitude an engine starts to increase the velocity of the system to reach orbital velocity. The final aim of this article is to capture the transfer of Δv cost for traveling to the Moon. At any given arrival time in order to guide the system, designers only consider the gravity of the Earth and gravity of the Moon by using a Direct Lunar Transfer Trajectory for the Earth to the Moon approach. Finally, EMSLS was evaluated as a more advantageous and complimentary alternative to chemical propulsion systems for space transportation.
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