This thruster schematic details a novel micro-propulsion system being developed for NASA by an engineering research team at Boise State University. The project was awarded a $630,479 NASA EPSCoR grant through the Idaho Space Grant Consortium.
Boise State University engineering professors Don Plumlee, Jim Browning, Amy Moll, Sin Ming Loo and Inanc Senocak have been awarded a $630,479 NASA EPSCoR grant through the Idaho Space Grant Consortium to support their work on electric propulsion in low-temperature, co-fired ceramic (LTCC) materials. Bringing together materials science, mechanical, electrical and computer engineering, the collaborative project is funded through 2012 and focused on developing an affordable, micro-propulsion system that could strategically point small satellites and enable them to maintain position while in orbit.
Boise State is working with NASA’s Glenn Research Center on the project, and high school students from the Treasure Valley Mathematics & Science Center also will be engaged in the project as it moves forward. It addresses several emphases in NASA’s 2006 Strategic Plan, including the creation of novel instrument platforms and the development of compact electrostatic thruster systems to accommodate NASA’s shift to smaller, unmanned, more cost-effective exploration missions.
The project builds on existing research in plasma generation in LTCC by Plumlee and Browning and on chemical micro-propulsion by Plumlee and Moll, who founded Boise State’s C-MEMS (ceramic micro-electro-mechanical systems) research group.
This conceptual image demonstrates how the small thrusters might be clustered on a satellite.
“Very few universities, colleges or organizations do research with LTCC, and Boise State is one of the only ones focused on spacecraft propulsion, if not the only one,” said Plumlee, who was principal investigator on the grant proposal.
Boise State’s concept is based on the miniaturization of an electric thruster, using ceramic materials to integrate fluidics and electronics. This proposed propulsion system would reduce the volume of propellant required, thus increasing a satellite’s lifespan.
“The beauty of it is that the power to produce thrust comes from an electrical system charged by a solar array. You still have propellant, but it is an inert gas that gets ionized,” Plumlee said. “The efficiency of these devices is 10 times better than a common chemical thruster, bringing the cost and mission complexity way down.”
Plumlee said the goal with this grant is to get a self-contained prototype built and ready for flight, but the space-related work doesn’t end there. He and his team have applied for funding to produce a Boise State satellite, which would transmit data to campus for use in research and teaching.
“As our slogan says, it would be the New U Rising — into space,” said Plumlee.
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Media Contact: Erin Ryan, University Communications, (208) 426-4910, erinryan@boisestate.edu
THE NEW U RISING: Boise State University has been selected among the nation’s “top up-and-coming schools” in U.S. News and World Report’s annual “America’s Best Colleges” issue. Recognized for its striking improvements and innovations, Boise State is ranked No. 3 in the West among master’s degree institutions.
