CubeSat Packaged Electrospray Thruster Evaluation for Enhanced Operationally Responsive Space Capabilities

Abstract

A new specialized electrospray thruster with a potential to be used with a 3-U CubeSat was operated. The key difference in this thruster from traditional colloid thrusters is the porous stainless steel surface used for the emission sites. With this porous surface the actual location and number of the Taylor cones formations vary with changing fuel flow. The understanding of these formations is discussed with low, moderate, and high flow rates. The limitations of the experiment and observed system response are discussed. Due to these limitations, the colloid thruster was only able to operate in the low mass flow rate regime.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 24, 2011
Accession Number
ADA540026

Entities

People

  • Scott Ober

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Control Systems
  • Electric Propulsion
  • Electrospray
  • Engineering
  • Engineers
  • Flow Rate
  • Ionic Liquids
  • Jet Propulsion
  • Mass Flow
  • Measurement
  • Pressure Gages
  • Propulsion Systems
  • Solar Panels
  • Space Propulsion
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Thrusters

Readers

  • Aerospace Propulsion Engineering.
  • Nanocomposite Materials Science
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster
  • Space - Satellites