Keldysh Mars Credit: Jakob Terweij. 21,292 bytes. 673 x 196 pixels.

By the 1980's in Russia, work on both nuclear electric and nuclear thermal propulsion included bimodal use of the nuclear reactors to provide electrical power during dormant or ballistic cruise phases of flight. In the case of nuclear thermal engines this meant addition of a Brayton cycle turbine using xenon-helium coolant. The ultimate Soviet nuclear thermal Mars spacecraft were proposed by the Kurchatov Institute in 1989, similar to an undated NII-TP design. This would have used a cluster of nuclear thermal engines. The crew quarters would be surrounded by liquid hydrogen propellant tanks to shield the crew from radiation from the reactors as well as cosmic rays. The powerplant in this case would be a new design: 20,000 kgf, a thermal power of 1200 MW, operating time of 5 hours, and a specific impulse of between 815 and 927 seconds; and provide 200 kW of electrical power. During cruise operations the turbine would provide 50-200 kW of electric power, requiring a 600 square meters of radiators at the end of the spacecraft. Total mass of this combination power plant was estimated to be 50 to 70 tonnes.

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Kurchatov Mars - The ultimate Soviet nuclear thermal Mars spacecraft as proposed by the Kurchatov Institute in 1989. This used a cluster of nuclear thermal engines. The crew quarters would be surrounded by liquid hydrogen propellant tanks to shield the crew from radiation from the reactors as well as cosmic rays. Credit: © Mark Wade. 7,168 bytes. 324 x 132 pixels.

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The nuclear thermal Mars spacecraft was similar to an undated NII-TP design. It used a cluster of nuclear thermal engines. The crew quarters would be surrounded by liquid hydrogen propellant tanks to shield the crew from radiation from the reactors as well as cosmic rays.

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Mars Spacecraft - Mars Spacecraft - Kurchatov Institute, 1989 Credit: © Mark Wade. 3,325 bytes. 589 x 183 pixels.

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• 89 - Semenov, Yu. P., S P Korolev Space Corporation Energia, RKK Energia, 1994.