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Related Concept Videos

Rocket Propulsion in Empty Space - I01:13

Rocket Propulsion in Empty Space - I

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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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.
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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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A 100 KW Class Applied-field Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster
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A high power ion thruster for deep space missions.

James E Polk1, Dan M Goebel, John S Snyder

  • 1Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, USA.

The Review of Scientific Instruments
|August 3, 2012
PubMed
Summary

The Nuclear Electric Xenon Ion System thruster was developed for long-duration outer planet missions. Testing validated its design and performance for nuclear electric propulsion (NEP).

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Area of Science:

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Plasma Physics
  • Space Propulsion

Background:

  • Nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) is crucial for ambitious robotic missions to outer planets.
  • Long-duration missions require highly reliable and efficient propulsion systems.
  • The Nuclear Electric Xenon Ion System (NEXIS) thruster was designed to meet these demands.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To detail the design and development of the NEXIS ion thruster.
  • To present performance and life assessment of the thruster.
  • To validate the design tools through experimental testing.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized state-of-the-art performance and life assessment tools for thruster design.
  • Employed 57-cm-diameter carbon-carbon composite grids operating at 3.5-6.5 kV.
  • Conducted preliminary validation with a laboratory model and completed two flight-like development model (DM) thrusters.

Main Results:

  • One DM thruster completed full performance testing and a 2000-hour wear test.
  • A second DM thruster passed vibration tests and performance validation.
  • Experimental results confirmed the effectiveness of the design tools.

Conclusions:

  • The NEXIS ion thruster design is validated for NEP missions.
  • The thruster demonstrates capability for high specific impulse (6000-8500 s) and long operational life (up to 10 years).
  • The developed thruster is suitable for potential outer planet robotic missions.