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Author Topic: 'Mars Engine' Shatters Records for Ion Propulsion  (Read 597 times)

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Offline DemolitionMan

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'Mars Engine' Shatters Records for Ion Propulsion
« on: October 25, 2017, 05:39:15 am »
By Jay Bennett

Ion thrusters are among the most exciting propulsion systems for future deep space exploration, and the technology's viability has already been demonstrated on dozens of spacecraft. The thrusters ionize a fuel source, generally xenon, and then accelerate the charged particles to tens of thousands of miles per hour using electric and magnetic fields. The beam of ions blasting out the back of the thruster is an efficient way to move satellites in the near-vacuum of space.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/news/a28754/new-ion-thruster-breaks-records-power-thrust/
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Offline Joe Wooten

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Re: 'Mars Engine' Shatters Records for Ion Propulsion
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2017, 08:05:19 am »
Those Hall thrusters are still a long way from being a viable propulsion unit for manned spacecraft. It would take weeks just to get out of LEO with them. By then the astronauts would be fried with radiation from the Van Allen belts.
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