Hel

ium

-3 M

inin

g A

eros

tats

in th

e A

tmos

pher

es o

f the

Out

er P

lane

tsJe

ffrey

E. V

an C

leve

, Bal

l Aer

ospa

ceC

arl G

rillm

air,

SIR

TF S

cien

ce C

ente

r, C

alte

chM

ark

Han

na, B

all A

eros

pace

Ric

h R

eine

rt, B

all A

eros

pace

Art

by D

avid

Sea

l of J

PL

Ref

eren

ce: V

an C

leve

et.

al. “

Hel

ium

-3 M

inin

g A

eros

tats

in th

e A

tmos

pher

es o

f the

Out

er P

lane

ts”,

200

2

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20070014644 2018-05-29T18:04:07+00:00Z

8/25

/04

WS

-2 2

004

2

Imag

ine

an In

terp

lane

tary

Fut

ure

Whe

re -

•d-

He3

fus

ion

prod

uces

mos

t of E

arth

’s e

nerg

y ne

eds

with

out

radi

oact

ivity

or c

arbo

n em

issi

ons

•S

pace

tran

spor

tatio

n ha

s be

en re

volu

tioni

zed

by a

n ef

ficie

nt fu

sion

pr

opul

sion

sys

tem

with

exh

aust

vel

ocity

up

to 0

.088

c

•S

pace

com

mer

ce is

stim

ulat

ed b

y th

e ex

iste

nce

of a

n in

terp

lane

tary

ca

rgo

wor

th $

3-M

a k

ilogr

am

•U

nman

ned

prob

es tr

avel

to th

e ne

ares

t sta

r sys

tem

s w

ith fl

ight

tim

es

less

than

a h

uman

life

time

8/25

/04

WS

-2 2

004

3

He-

3 Fu

sion

for E

nerg

y &

Pro

puls

ion

d +

He3

-->

p +

He4

•re

acta

nts

are

stab

le a

nd s

tora

ble

•pr

oduc

ts a

re e

nerg

etic

, cha

rged

and

sta

ble

–E

ffici

ent e

lect

rical

gen

erat

ion

from

MH

D–

No

activ

atio

n an

d em

britt

lem

ento

f rea

ctor

ves

sel

–E

ffici

ent c

onve

rsio

n to

thru

st w

ith e

xhau

st v

eloc

ity u

p to

0.

088

c -->

~50

yr i

nter

stel

lar f

light

usi

ng k

now

n ph

ysic

s.•

3.6x

1014

J/kg

of d

-He3

mix

ture

= 1

.0x1

08kW

h/kg

–Fu

el is

abo

ut 2

0% o

f the

kW

h co

st o

f ele

ctric

ity–

If el

ectri

city

is 1

5¢/k

Wh

then

He3

has

a v

alue

of $

3M/k

g

He-

3 is

one

of t

he fe

w c

omm

oditi

es w

orth

inte

rpla

neta

ry fr

eigh

t cos

ts

8/25

/04

WS

-2 2

004

4

Why

Out

er P

lane

ts fo

r He-

3?

•E

arth

: bre

edin

g of

triti

um fr

om e

ither

isot

ope

of li

thiu

m

by n

eutro

n bo

mba

rdm

ent,

trito

ns d

ecay

to H

e-3.

–

Con

tain

men

t, w

aste

pro

blem

s sa

me

as d

-t fis

sion

. –

US

A h

as n

o cu

rren

t cap

abili

ty.

–Li

thiu

m in

vent

ory?

•M

oon:

sol

ar w

ind

impl

ante

d in

rego

lith,

10

ppb

(10-

8 )

by m

ass

in u

pper

mos

t few

met

ers.

~10

00 y

r of 2

001

ener

gy n

eeds

-a s

tarte

r cat

alys

t?.

•O

uter

pla

nets

: pr

imor

dial

He3

, ~10

par

ts p

er m

illio

n (1

0-5 )

, ~10

9yr

of 2

001

ener

gy n

eeds

-the

ulti

mat

e en

ergy

sou

rce?

.

8/25

/04

WS

-2 2

004

5

Whi

ch O

uter

Pla

net-J

upite

rP

ro:

•C

lose

st to

Ear

th a

nd S

unC

on:

•H

uge

grav

ity m

eans

retu

rn v

ehic

le h

as m

ass

ratio

>20

(nuc

lear

ther

mal

I sp

= 90

0 s)

–N

o m

ass

budg

et le

ft fo

r car

go!

•A

lot h

otte

r at a

any

giv

en d

ensi

ty–

Gal

ileo

prob

e ki

lled

by h

eat n

ot b

y pr

essu

re

8/25

/04

WS

-2 2

004

6

Whi

ch O

uter

Pla

net-S

atur

nP

ro:

•N

ot a

s fa

r as

Ura

nus

and

Nep

tune

•R

apid

rota

tion

subs

tant

ially

redu

ces ΔV

to o

rbit

Con

:•

See

n as

dep

lete

d ~5

x in

Hel

ium

com

pare

d to

ot

her o

uter

pla

nets

–re

anal

ysis

of V

oyag

er d

ata

20 y

r lat

er re

stor

es th

at

5x-m

aybe

–w

on’t

know

for s

ure

until

we

send

an

entry

pro

be•

Rin

gs a

s a

navi

gatio

n ha

zard

–ne

ed c

lose

-in, c

o-or

bitin

g m

issi

on to

look

8/25

/04

WS

-2 2

004

7

Whi

ch O

uter

Pla

net-U

ranu

sP

ro•

Prim

ordi

al H

e3 a

bund

ance

?•ΔV

to o

rbit

requ

ires

mas

s ra

tio <

5•

Clo

ser t

han

Nep

tune

Con

•A

xial

tilt

com

plic

ates

inte

rpla

neta

ry tr

avel

•Tw

ice

as fa

r fro

m E

arth

as

Sat

urn

Ura

nus m

ay b

e th

e cl

oses

t pla

net w

ithou

t maj

or p

ossi

ble

prob

lem

s --b

ut w

e m

ust r

etur

n to

bot

h Sa

turn

to b

e su

re

8/25

/04

WS

-2 2

004

8

Do

we

real

ly k

now

how

muc

h H

e3 is

ther

e?•

He3

/He4

can

not b

e m

easu

red

by re

mot

e se

nsin

g•

He3

/H2

and

He3

/He4

ratio

s ha

ve b

een

mea

sure

d in

situ

only

by

Gal

ileo

at J

upite

r•

He3

/He4

ratio

of 1

0-4

to 1

.5x1

0-4

from

m

eteo

rs, s

olar

win

d, c

osm

olog

y•

Use

Gal

ileo

resu

lts fo

r He3

/He4

= 1

0-4

and

Voy

ager

resu

lts (?

) for

He4

/H2

8/25

/04

WS

-2 2

004

9

•B

allo

on d

iam

eter

:

80 m

•

Tota

l Pla

nt m

ass:

14

6 to

nnes

•R

etur

n ve

hicl

e:

59 to

nnes

•To

tal l

ift n

eede

d:

205

tonn

es

He3

pla

nt

reac

tor

Bal

loon

Insu

latio

n

He-

3 M

inin

g w

ith B

allo

ons

8/25

/04

WS

-2 2

004

10

Not

iona

l Dis

tilla

tion

Pla

nt C

once

ptTh

inki

ng B

ig a

bout

our

Spa

ce C

ryog

enic

s Fut

ure

pum

pH

eat e

xcha

nger

LHe

4.2K

X3=

10-4

X3=

2.5x

10-3

X3=

0.06

3X

3=0.

9

X3=

0.01

3X

3=6x

10-4

L 1.

2 K

L 1.

2 K

L 1.

2 K

GG

G

CH

4Ar

Sor

ptio

nR

emov

al

H2

JTLi

quifi

erH

2S

orpt

ion

Rem

oval

He

JTLi

quifi

er

CH

4Ar

LH2

17 K

LH2

22

K

HeR

Vpr

opel

lant

GH

260

K

23

45

67

8

X3

= H

e-3/

He-

4 ra

tioG

= g

asL

= liq

uid

GH

e

8/25

/04

WS

-2 2

004

11

Ene

rgy

Eco

nom

ics

He3

/H2

= 10

ppm

Tabl

e 1

Stag

ePr

oces

sEn

ergy

(J)/g

He3

1, 2

, 3co

ol at

mos

pher

e to

16 K

7.2x

107

3liq

uify

H2 a

t 16

K3.

2x10

8

5co

ol H

e fro

m 1

6 K

to 4

.2 K

1.3x

107

5liq

uify

He a

t 4.2

K1.

1x10

7

6co

ol L

He f

rom

4.2

to 1

.2 K

1.2x

107

tota

l4.

3x10

8

Tran

spor

tatio

n on

2 y

r tra

ject

ory:

5x1

07J/

g H

e3E

nerg

y re

leas

ed:

6x10

11J/

g H

e3Th

eore

tical

ene

rgy

payb

ack:

~10

00

8/25

/04

WS

-2 2

004

12

To E

arth

Bas

e fo

rM

aint

enan

ceO

pera

tions

Sta

rshi

p Fu

elin

g

He3

tank

er

He3

dis

tilla

tion

plan

t

reac

tor

Bal

loon

volu

me

Min

ing

aero

stat

Nuc

lear

ram

jet/r

ocke

t re

turn

veh

icle

To S

tars

The

Pers

ian

Gul

f of t

he S

olar

Sys

tem

, 215

0

The

mos

t val

uabl

e in

terp

lane

tary

com

mod

ities

are

refin

ed H

e-3,

de

uter

ium

, and

hea

vy m

etal

s

8/25

/04

WS

-2 2

004

13

Nex

t Ste

ps

•Ju

pite

r Icy

Moo

ns O

rbite

r (JI

MO

) –

nucl

ear f

issi

on-p

ower

ed–

elec

tric

prop

ulsi

on fl

ight

sys

tem

–B

ig d

eal:

20

tonn

es, >

$4 B

, 10

kWe

–Fi

rst o

f a s

erie

s: P

roje

ct P

rom

ethe

us•

Sat

urn

Rin

g O

bser

ver

•U

ranu

s/N

eptu

ne O

rbite

r with

Pro

bes

•S

elf-d

eplo

ying

bal

loon

pro

bes

for M

ars,

Tita

n•

Dis

cove

ry/N

ew F

ront

iers

mis

sion

s to

oth

er re

sour

ce

site

s (M

oon,

ast

eroi

ds, c

omet

s) fo

r int

erpl

anet

ary

com

mod

ity e

cono

my

http

://w

ww

.jpl.n

asa.

gov/

jimo/

galle

ry.c

fm

8/25

/04

WS

-2 2

004

14

A T

rial B

allo

on ?

Sci

entif

ic b

allo

on m

issi

ons

to o

uter

pla

nets

, usi

ng

Pu

RTG

san

d/or

O2

burn

ers,

to s

tudy

•H

e3/H

e4 a

nd H

e/H

2ra

tio•

pres

sure

vs.

tem

pera

ture

for 1

< p

< 1

00 b

ar•

trace

gas

com

posi

tion

•en

try, d

eplo

ymen

t, an

d te

lem

etry

eng

inee

ring

expe

rimen

ts

A sc

ienc

e ba

lloon

cou

ld b

e as

smal

l as 2

.8 m

di

amet

er, a

nd u

se a

t mos

t 7 k

g of

Plu

toni

um a

s a

heat

and

pow

er so

urce