ADVANCED MAGNET LAB

IGF::OT::IGF ACTIVE RADIATION SHIELDING CONCEPTS HAVE BEEN STUDIED FOR MANY DECADES AS A MEANS TO PROTECT CREW FROM DEEP SPACE RADIATION ENVIRONMENTS. THESE STUDIES YIELD ARCHITECTURES THAT ARE SIGNIFICANTLY MASSIVE AND TOO COSTLY TO LAUNCH AND ASSEMBLE IN SPACE. THIS IS LARGELY DUE TO THE MAGNET SIZE AND FIELD STRENGTH REQUIRED TO DEFLECT GALACTIC COSMIC RADIATION (GCR) SPECTRA AND SOLAR PARTICLE EVENTS (SPE) FOR MEANINGFUL CREW PROTECTION IN SPACE. STATE-OF-THE-ART SUPERCONDUCTING TECHNOLOGY HAS MADE GREAT STRIDES IN PERFORMANCE INCLUDING HIGHER TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTIVITY (HTS) AND GREATER CURRENT CARRYING CAPACITY ALLOWING FOR SIMPLER MAGNET COOLING SYSTEMS AND GREATER MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTH PER UNIT MASS. THE WORK PERFORMED UNDER PHASE I SCOPE OF WORK RESULTED IN A HIGHLY FEASIBLE AND DEPLOYABLE RADIATION SHIELD WITH UNPRECEDENTED SIZE AND WEIGHT. DURING THIS FIRST PHASE, AML ANALYZED OVER TWENTY POTENTIAL MAGNET CONFIGURATIONS. THE ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT EXPANDABLE HIGH TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTING (SC) MAGNETS WITH DIAMETERS OF 4M TO 8 M AND LENGTHS OF 15M TO 20 M, ARRANGED IN A 6-AROUND-1 CONFIGURATION PROVIDES AN OPTIMUM SOLUTION AMONG ALL CONFIGURATIONS ANALYZED. EQUALLY IMPORTANT, THE SYSTEM CONCEPT IS AUGMENTED BY A SC COMPENSATION COIL THAT CLOSELY SURROUNDS THE HABITAT INTERCEPTING THERMAL RADIATION AND ELIMINATES THE FRINGE MAGNETIC FIELD FROM THE SHIELDING MAGNETS. PHASE 2 WILL SUPPORT FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE EXPANDABLE COIL CONCEPT OF SUCH AN ULTRA-LIGHT WEIGHT YET POWERFUL MAGNET STRUCTURE. THIS WILL INCLUDE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE STRUCTURAL LOADS ANALYSIS AND STRUCTURAL DESIGN TO MANAGE THE MAGNETIC FIELD FORCES ON EACH OF THE COILS AND THE HABITAT. CONCEPT DESIGN AND ANALYSIS WILL INCLUDE EFFECTS OF THE COMPENSATION COIL ON THE ENTIRE SYSTEM. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT INCLUDES: SUPPORT TEAM MEMBERS IN THEIR EFFORTS TO ANALYZE THE EFFECTS AND TRADEOFFS OF COIL CONFIGURATIONS, MASS, FRINGE FIELDS, AND PERFORMANCE. PROVIDE DATA TO NASA FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN EVALUATING REQUIRED LAUNCH SYSTEMS, LAUNCH PACKAGING AND FAIRING SIZING, AND ASSEMBLY OF COIL SYSTEM. SUPPORT NASA IN EVALUATING THE SAFETY IMPLICATIONS INCLUDING MAGNET QUENCH PERFORMANCE.

NASA OFFICE OF THE CHIEF TECHNOLOGIST GAME CHANGING TECHNOLOGY DIVISION UNIQUE AND INNOVATIVE SPACE TECHNOLOGY BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT THIS WORK SUPPORTS THE ENERGY SYSTEMS DIVISION. THE DIVISION PROVIDES CONCEPTUAL DESIGN, FEASIBILITY STUDIES, ANALYSIS, DEVELOPMENT, QUALIFICATION TESTING, FLIGHT CERTIFICATION, OPERATIONS, AND SUSTAINING ENGINEERING. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS CONTRACT IS TO PROVIDE THE NECESSARY RESEARCH FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LIGHTWEIGHT SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNET SYSTEM FOR ACTIVE RADIATION SHIELDING OF A SPACESHIP FOR INTERPLANETARY EXPLORATIONS LIKE EXTENDED MISSIONS TO THE MOON, ASTEROID, AND MARS. TO FACILITATE LAUNCH OF SUCH A SYSTEM, A MODULAR COIL CONCEPT IS REQUIRED THAT ALLOWS ASSEMBLY OF THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS IN SPACE. THE CONTRACTOR HAS SIX MAIN TASKS. FIRST, THE CONTRACTOR WILL OPTIMIZE A COIL LAYOUT FOR RADIATION SHIELDING. THE SHIELDING EFFICIENCY DEPENDS STRONGLY ON THE LAYOUT OF THE SPACESHIP AND THE SURROUNDING COIL CONFIGURATION. THE COIL LAYOUT WILL BE OPTIMIZED WITH MONTE CARLO ANALYSIS. THE STUDY WILL CONSIDER AN ARRAY OF DOUBLE-HELIX COILS SURROUNDING THE SPACESHIP WITH ADDITIONAL COIL CONFIGURATIONS IN THE FORWARD AND AFT END OF THE MODULE. SECOND, THE CONTRACTOR WILL DETERMINE A CONCEPT OF SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNET. DURING THIS TASK THE CONCEPT OF THE REQUIRED COIL WILL BE DEVELOPED. THIRD, THE CONTRACTOR WILL DEVELOP A CONCEPT FOR CONDUCTOR PLACEMENT. A KEY DESIGN ISSUE OF THE SUPERCONDUCTING TAPE IS ITS MECHANICAL ROBUSTNESS AND ITS MINIMUM BENDING RADII. FOURTH, THE CONTRACTOR WILL DEVELOP A CONCEPT OF COIL SUPPORT STRUCTURE. THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE OF THE SUPERCONDUCTING COILS HAS TO BE LIGHT AND THE MATERIAL SHOULD MINIMIZE SECONDARY PARTICLE PRODUCTION. FIFTH, THE CONTRACTOR WILL BUILD A CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF THE CRYOGENIC SYSTEM. THE COILS HAVE TO BE KEPT WITHIN A CERTAIN TEMPERATURE RANGE TO GUARANTEE THE SUPERCONDUCTING STATE OF THE CONDUCTOR. SIXTH, THE CONTRACTOR WILL BUILD A CONCEPTUAL DESIGN AND SPECIFICATIONS OF THE REQUIRED FLUX PUMP CHARGING SYSTEM. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THE SUPERCONDUCTING COILS OPERATE IN A PERSISTENT MODE WITH HIGH OPERATIONAL CURRENTS OF SEVERAL THOUSAND AMPS.