Development of a cold gas propulsion system for the TALARIS hopper

Abstract

The TALARIS (Terrestrial Artificial Lunar And Reduced gravIty Simulator) hopper is a small prototype flying vehicle developed as an Earth-based testbed for guidance, navigation, and control algorithms that will be used for robotic exploration of lunar and other planetary surfaces. It has two propulsion systems: (1) a system of four electric ducted fans to offset a fraction of Earth's gravity (e.g. 5/6 for lunar simulations), and (2) a cold gas propulsion system which uses compressed nitrogen propellant to provide impulsive rocket propulsion, flying in an environment dynamically similar to that of the Moon or other target body. This thesis focuses on the second of these propulsion systems. It details the practical development of the cold gas spacecraft emulator (CGSE) system, including initial conception, requirements definition, computer design and analysis methods, and component selection and evaluation. System construction and testing are also covered, as are design modifications resulting from these activities. Details of the system's integration into the broader TALARIS project are also presented. Finally, ongoing and future work as well as lessons learned from the development of the CGSE are briefly discussed.