Questions tagged [ion-thruster]
Questions about engines used in space that accelerate ions to create thrust.
155
questions
4
votes
1
answer
222
views
Would that asteroid transport be possible?
I did the mistake of watching an episode of the Science Fiction series "For All Mankind". There they are trying to catch an asteroid in order to bring it back to Mars. I know this series is ...
- 141
5
votes
4
answers
190
views
In a gridded-ion thruster, why are the ions accelerated away from the thruster and do not just stay close to the negatively charged grid?
Basically, if the ions are accelerated due to their attraction to a negatively charged gird at the back end of the thruster, why don't the ions just stay by the grid? How are they ejected out of the ...
- 51
4
votes
1
answer
183
views
How would one identify ionic thrust vs chemical thrust in an orbit transfer?
My nomenclature might be a bit off, I’m no expert but I’ve been reading to solve the question all the same. Say we detect an orbit transfer based off ephemeris records. We can get the 6 classic orbit ...
- 321
1
vote
1
answer
203
views
Moon landing with ion thrusters
In Kerbal space program I built a mini cubesat (similar to NASA’s lunar flashlight probe) and managed to land on the moon only using ion thrusters. However, it was risky because it took a few tries. ...
- 5,884
4
votes
2
answers
186
views
Minimal vacuum system requirements to test a scale model ion thruster for a student project?"
I am planning to make a small-scale ionic thruster, however, I am not planning to invest in a vacuum chamber so I am thinking of only achieving vacuum in the plasma chamber itself, by sealing the ...
- 89
4
votes
1
answer
794
views
Advice on ionic thruster
I am a high school student, and this year our school requires us to do this Year-long project, I chose building ionic thrusters as my project's first choice.
My question is, which type of ionic ...
- 89
-12
votes
4
answers
302
views
When is the thrust produced in an ion thruster? [closed]
I have read many times that the thrust is produced when the ions leave the satellite, not while they are accelerating.
I have asked the same question twice in openAI ChatGPT and it gave me two ...
4
votes
1
answer
163
views
Lifetime of Krypton thruster without shielding compared to Xenon - Starlink Satellites
It is argued here (by the user uhoh) that Krypton might have a higher erosion rate on the thruster compared to Xenon. However, here is mentioned that the lifetime of Krypton-fueled thrusters might ...
9
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Does Krypton or Xenon produce more thrust in a Hall-effect thruster?
I am trying to figure out if Xenon or Krypton produces more thrust for a given weight flow rate of fuel when the engine operates at the same discharge voltages. The information I find is mixed or I am ...
2
votes
0
answers
133
views
Ion propulsion system [duplicate]
Good evening.
Is there a formulae to calculate how much lift an ion propulsion system would create on earth, given factors like voltage, load, etcetera? Just a mathematical formulae. That is all I ask ...
- 29
2
votes
0
answers
190
views
Is electric propulsion feasible for human spaceflight?
I have been reading a lot about electric propulsion and was wondering if it would be feasible for human spaceflight. It is really efficient but it takes a while to get to the desired speed. Would it ...
- 5,884
3
votes
1
answer
369
views
What's this small source of glowing blue plasma next to Psyche's Hall effect thruster for? What does it do and why does the plasma curve and connect?
PV Magazine's NASA’s 1.5 billion-mile Psyche asteroid mission will be solar-powered includes the image below which is PIA24030 and the relevent part of the NASA caption is:
The photo on the left ...
- 149k
3
votes
1
answer
402
views
Why was SERT-1 put in a suborbital trajectory (4000 km apogee) while SERT-2 (1970-009A) was put in a 1000 km circular polar orbit?
Wikipedia's SERT-1 says
SERT-1 (Space Electric Rocket Test) was a NASA probe used to test electrostatic ion thruster design and was built by NASA's Lewis Research Center (now NASA Glenn). SERT-1 was ...
- 149k
3
votes
3
answers
1k
views
How a continuous thrust orbit transfer can be compared with Hohmann transfer?
Suppose that I have found the solution of an optimal continuous thrust planar orbit transfer from circular orbit A to orbit B by means of a numerical method. It's considered that the mission must be ...
- 569
4
votes
1
answer
206
views
Can ion propulsion system be used to maintain lunar orbit?
I am doing research on propulsion systems and it was suggested that I use an ion propulsion system for a theoretical satellite I am tasked with designing, I need to maintain orbit for three years ...
- 73