A Vacuum Arc Ion Thruster for Space Propulsion
Abstract
The Phase I project has demonstrated the feasibility of a 500 W vacuum arc ion thruster (VAIT) that is very different from present Xe ion thrusters that are in production for space missions. The VAIT does not require storage and feed of gases, reducing the parts count considerably. The VAIT produces a highly ionized plasma with minimal neutral build up in the grids, potentially making the grid lifetime longer and potentially allowing smaller grid spacing to be used. The VAIT has been shown (in related research over two decades) to produce plasmas (hence directed ion beams) of dozens of heavy ions such as Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, H(Ta, W, Ir, Pt, Au, Pb, Bi, Th and U. This wide range of possible ions provides great flexibility to the VAIT, allowing us to tailor different ion beams (with different thrust, specific impulse levels) to different missions. Ion streaming velocities of 5 x 104 rn/s were measured using Time-of-Flight (TOF) methods, which imply a thrust level of 0.13 N.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 31, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA342818
Entities
People
- Aleksei Vizir
- Mahadevan Krishnan
- Niansheng Qi
- Rahul R. Prasad
- Steve Gensler