History of Electric Propulsion at NASA Glenn Research Center: 1956 to Present
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 26, Issue 2
Abstract
This paper provides a brief overview of the history of electric propulsion (EP) at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC). Since the inception of EP technology, GRC has played a pivotal role in developing the technology and transitioning it to flight. Research and development efforts by GRC’s employees, grantees, and contractors brought operational EP systems to commercial satellites in the early 1990s and to NASA and other government agency missions starting in the late 1990s. GRC’s early construction of unique EP test infrastructure and NASA’s and GRC’s sustained investments in EP research and development over several decades were strategic in the creation of technologies that continue to greatly benefit the competitiveness and capabilities of U. S. space systems and missions.
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Acknowledgments
The writers gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the Wyle personnel in locating and compiling archival reference materials for this article: Jaime Scibelli, Science Librarian; Deborah Demaline, Equipment Account Supervisor; and Robert Arrighi, Archivist.
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Published In
Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 26 • Issue 2 • April 2013
Pages: 300 - 316
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 4, 2012
Accepted: Nov 27, 2012
Published online: Nov 29, 2012
Published in print: Apr 1, 2013
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