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NASA Studying Solar Powered "Space Tugboat"

Posted by samzenpus on from the Teddy-the-space-tugboat dept.

Zothecula writes "Last year, NASA announced it was seeking proposals for mission concept studies of a high-power solar electric propulsion (SEP) system that could be used in a 'space tugboat.' Such a ship would be used to ferry payloads in low Earth orbit (LEO) into higher energy orbits, including geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) and Lagrange point one (L1) — saving on fuel and the use of expensive secondary boosters. NASA also anticipates an SEP system could be used to propel spacecraft into deep space for science missions and for the placement, service, resupply, repositioning and salvaging of space assets by commercial operators."

3 of 86 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Sigh by rtb61 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Might be smarter to attempt to 'surf' the planet's electromagnetic field.

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    Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
  2. maybe invent a by FudRucker · · Score: 4, Interesting

    solar powered sanitation satellite that just robotically collects debris in orbit, and when its payload is full it commits suicide by diving in to the atmosphere over the pacific ocean so what does not burn up on entry falls harmlessly in to the sea

    --
    Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
  3. Yes! by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is exactly the kind of basic space infrastructure NASA should be working on. Space tugboats, construction vehicles, mining drones and assayers, cargo haulers, all the simple stuff that makes a civilisation run smoothly. We need to walk before we run, and that means mastering the basic techniques of constructing and operating these types of vehicles long before any thought is given to colonising the moon or Mars.