Abstract
Pulsed laser ablation experiments on pyroxene rock have been conducted. A 1064nm laser with a 0.7ns pulse width is used to generate ablation in vacuum. The resulting plasma plume is characterized with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Pyroxene is a mineral commonly found in S-Type asteroids. Laser ablation generates thrust, and can be used to move an asteroid off of an Earth impacting trajectory, or to a more favorable orbit for in-situ resource utilization. In addition, time-of-flight mass spectrometry can be used for in-situ analysis of asteroids. From the data collected in this experiment, a two-dimensional distribution of the positive ions is found as a function of speed and mass per charge. From the distribution, the specific impulse of the positive ions is found to be 6920 s. This is an overestimate of the overall efficiency, since it does not consider efficiency losses or the speed of neutrals and larger particles.
Highlights
In 2013, a 20 meter diameter Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia. This injured over 1,600 people, and Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson described the event as “a cosmic wake-up call.”1 Numerous approaches have been proposed for deflecting or destroying asteroids on a collision course for Earth, ranging in energy from gravity tractors to nuclear-tipped impactors
A laser is fired at a spot on the asteroid, which generates a directed high-energy plasma plume, generating thrust
A time-of-flight mass spectrometer developed by the authors is used to characterize the two-dimensional distribution of the ions in the plasma plume as a function of speed and mass-per-charge
Summary
In 2013, a 20 meter diameter Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia This injured over 1,600 people, and Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson described the event as “a cosmic wake-up call.” Numerous approaches have been proposed for deflecting or destroying asteroids on a collision course for Earth, ranging in energy from gravity tractors to nuclear-tipped impactors.. Laser ablation propulsion (LAP) is a promising low-thrust technology for asteroid mitigation. A laser is fired at a spot on the asteroid, which generates a directed high-energy plasma plume, generating thrust. Ablation of augite pyroxene (commonly found in silicaceous SType asteroids19), using a sub-nanosecond pulsed laser is analyzed. A time-of-flight mass spectrometer developed by the authors is used to characterize the two-dimensional distribution of the ions in the plasma plume as a function of speed and mass-per-charge. A two-dimensional distribution allows for a more accurate calculation of Isp, as well as provides more insight about which ions are most contributing to the Isp
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