REVIEW OF CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS OF ROBOTIC SPACE SYSTEMS FOR MINING OF HELIUM-3 NUCLEAR FUEL ON ASTEROIDS AND FROM JOVIAN ATMOSPHERE

REVIEW OF CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS OF ROBOTIC SPACE SYSTEMS FOR MINING OF HELIUM-3 NUCLEAR FUEL ON ASTEROIDS AND FROM JOVIAN ATMOSPHERE

V.V. Sinyavsky
Doctor of Technical Science, S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation «ENERGIA», Professor, Science Advisor, 4A, Lenin Street, Korolev, Moscow area, 141070, Russia, tel.: +7(495)513-79-10, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Doctor of Technical Science, Bauman Moscow State Technical University (BMSTU), Professor, 5-1, 2-ya Baumanskaya ul., Moscow, 105005, Russia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Received 23 May 2018

Abstract
The paper discusses the advantages of using helium-3 as an environmentally friendly nuclear fuel. Since the Earth is lacking reserves of helium-3 that would be economically sound to develop, the paper discusses the feasibility of its mining on other celestial bodies. The paper provides the results of conceptual studies of research and industrial mining-transportation systems based on a nuclear power and propulsion plant with a thermionic converter-reactor for helium-3 mining on asteroids and its delivery to the Earth. A project for mining helium-3 from the Jovian atmosphere using a nuclear aerostat is reviewed.

Key words
Helium-3 as a thermonuclear fuel; nuclear power propulsion system; thermionic converter-reactor, asteroid mining and transportation system; nuclear aerostat in the Jovian atmosphere.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.31776/RTCJ.6302 

Bibliographic description
Sinyavsky, V. (2018). Review of conceptual designs of robotic space systems for mining of helium-3 nuclear fuel on asteroids and from Jovian atmosphere. Robotics and Technical Cybernetics, 3(20), pp.18-30.

UDC identifier:
629.788:622(15)

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