Herakles ArchitectureKinetic Energy is viewed as an in-situ resource. An Impulse Engine (formerly named a Recycler, or a CataMitt Recycler) is a large device that extracts kinetic energy from an arriving spacecraft, converts it into electricity via regenerative braking, and immediately applies that electricity to launch a partner spacecraft. This enables space hardware to shift from being primarily expendable to being primarily reusable in nature. While it has constraints, it also has a significant potential to reduce the cost of round trip space travel between select destinations, such as a Molniya orbit, geosynchronous orbit, and the Moon.

Impulse Engine

Science Department, Cerritos High School Cerritos, CA 90703

paturek@earthlink.net

By Philip A. Turek

ASAT Mission

IE Image

The big picture

Interface Plate With Interchangeable Berthing Cradles

Orbital Waltz

Progress_a farview

Progress Exchange

Low Operating Cost

Crew Rotation to a Lunar South Pole Base

Impulse Engines at Mars

Extending Impulse Engines to Mars

Phobos Impulse Engine: Access 323 km low Mars orbit inclined 43 deg. DV 3.5 km/s from LEO to LMO.

Deimos Impulse Engine: Access 297 km low Mars orbit inclined 80 deg. DV 3.7 km/s from LEO to LMO

Extending IEs to Asteroids

Electrostatic Radiation Shielding

A Manned Base

Why Are There Grooves on Phobos?

Andromeda

Outreach

IE Research Community

We’re Building Our Future in Space