New ION drive may take us to Mars and back, perhaps to the Stars!
Posted on January 24th, 2006 by Richard Catto 1,351 views
New Scientist SPACE – Super-powerful new ion engine revealed
The ESA (European Space Agency) in The Netherlands has developed a new ION drive prototype that is 10 times more efficient than the current design. It is also 4 times faster than a newer prototype.
So how do ION drives work? Well essentially, they accelerate a stream of (positively charged) ions which exit the rear of the ION drive. At that point, Newton’s Third Law of Motion kicks in (for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction). The stream of accelerated matter going out the back produces thrust which propels the spacecraft forward.
Unlike conventional rocket engines, ION drives keep up that thrust, and you get a slow and steady acceleration over time which makes the spacecraft really shunt!
So how do you get those ions to play ball and speed out the back? Well, the prototypes use electrical grids with varying voltages. The original ION drive design hit the wall at a voltage differential of 5000V, because at that level, the grids started to get damaged. The new improved grid design allows voltage differentials of up to 30 000V. [ touches ION drive ] hmmmm, slight tingle.
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