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Rocket Propulsion in Gravitational Field - II01:03

Rocket Propulsion in Gravitational Field - II

A rocket's velocity in the presence of a gravitational field is decreased by the amount of force exerted by Earth's gravitational field, which opposes the motion of the rocket. If we consider thrust, that is, the force exerted on a rocket by the exhaust gases, then a rocket's thrust is greater in outer space than in the atmosphere or on a launch pad. In fact, gases are easier to expel in a vacuum.
A rocket's acceleration depends on three major factors, consistent with the equation for the...
Rocket Propulsion in Gravitational Field - I01:20

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Rockets range in size from small fireworks that ordinary people use to the enormous Saturn V that once propelled massive payloads toward the Moon. The propulsion of all rockets, jet engines, deflating balloons, and even squids and octopuses are explained by the same physical principle: Newton's third law of motion. The matter is forcefully ejected from a system, producing an equal and opposite reaction on what remains.
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The driving force for the motion of any vehicle is friction, but in the case of rocket propulsion in space, the friction force is not present. The motion of a rocket changes its velocity (and hence its momentum) by ejecting burned fuel gases, thus causing it to accelerate in the direction opposite to the velocity of the ejected fuel. In this situation, the mass and velocity of the rocket constantly change along with the total mass of ejected gases. Due to conservation of momentum, the rocket's...
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Non-contact thrust stand calibration method for repetitively pulsed electric thrusters.

The Review of scientific instrumentsยท2012
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Optimization, Test and Diagnostics of Miniaturized Hall Thrusters
12:22

Optimization, Test and Diagnostics of Miniaturized Hall Thrusters

Published on: February 16, 2019

Thrust stand for vertically oriented electric propulsion performance evaluation.

Trevor Moeller1, Kurt A Polzin

  • 1University of Tennessee Space Institute, Tullahoma, Tennessee 37388, USA. tmoeller@utsi.edu

The Review of Scientific Instruments
|December 8, 2010
PubMed
Summary

A novel hanging pendulum thrust stand precisely measures electric thruster performance in vertical orientation. This system offers a wide measurement range and high resolution for accurate thrust determination.

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Area of Science:

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Physics

Background:

  • Accurate measurement of electric thruster performance is crucial for spacecraft propulsion development.
  • Existing thrust stands may have limitations in handling vertical thruster orientations and achieving wide dynamic ranges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present a modified hanging pendulum thrust stand designed for vertical electric thruster testing.
  • To detail the design features that enable neutral stability, friction reduction, and drift mitigation.

Main Methods:

  • A counterweight system was implemented for neutral stability with a horizontally offset thruster.
  • Motion transfer to a secondary arm utilized a noncontact light-based transducer for displacement measurement.
  • Passive eddy-current damping, thermal management, and self-leveling systems were incorporated.

Main Results:

  • The thrust stand demonstrates a measurement range spanning approximately four decades.
  • Capability to measure up to 12 N for a 200 kg thruster and 800 mN for a 10 kg thruster.
  • Calibration tests showed a resolution of 1 mN at 100 mN thrust levels and 2.5 mN at 0.5 N levels.

Conclusions:

  • The developed thrust stand effectively measures vertical electric thruster performance across a broad thrust range.
  • The design incorporates features to ensure system stability, minimize friction, and mitigate environmental drifts.
  • The system achieves high resolution, suitable for characterizing a wide variety of electric propulsion systems.