Project Type
group
Campus
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Andres Artze-- Sophomore John Lobdell-- Sophomore Jonathan Rach--Freshmen Carrie Sekeres--Sophomore Kari Slotten—Sophomore
Lead Presenter's Name
Andres Artze
Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Charles Lee
Abstract
In order to meet the needs of new and more ambitious space missions, a new form of space propulsion must develop. The method of propulsion with the greatest potential to influence the space industry is the RF Resonant Cavity Thruster. This thruster is a new type of technology that was developed by Roger Shawyer and Guido Fetta as a way of producing small amounts of thrust without any onboard reaction mass. This project focuses on learning from the experiments conducted by NASA and the Chinese on this form of propulsion to design and build a new version of the thruster. These previous results and conclusions, combined with other equations and design methodologies for building a resonant cavity/waveguide will be used to design a different variation of thruster. The research is primarily focused towards a conceptual design projected over the next year, but there is potential to build and test the device. The research is based on topics such as resonant cavity/waveguide particle accelerator design, quantum mechanics, and superconductivity.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
Yes
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
Yes, Spark Grant
RF Resonant Cavity Thruster Research Project
In order to meet the needs of new and more ambitious space missions, a new form of space propulsion must develop. The method of propulsion with the greatest potential to influence the space industry is the RF Resonant Cavity Thruster. This thruster is a new type of technology that was developed by Roger Shawyer and Guido Fetta as a way of producing small amounts of thrust without any onboard reaction mass. This project focuses on learning from the experiments conducted by NASA and the Chinese on this form of propulsion to design and build a new version of the thruster. These previous results and conclusions, combined with other equations and design methodologies for building a resonant cavity/waveguide will be used to design a different variation of thruster. The research is primarily focused towards a conceptual design projected over the next year, but there is potential to build and test the device. The research is based on topics such as resonant cavity/waveguide particle accelerator design, quantum mechanics, and superconductivity.