thruster

12.03.08

The Next Space Thruster

Rockets burn for mere minutes. This engine runs for years, sending probes to Neptune at 10,000 miles an hour

By Michael Moyer Posted 03.15.2006 at 3:00 am 1 Comment

NASA's Ion Engine

1. Charge the Fuel
Xenon is an inert gas, seemingly useless for rocketry. Before it´s used as fuel, the engine must convert it into an electrically charged gas, also called a plasma. An electron emitter fires electrons at the xenon gas. When an electron hits a xenon atom, it strips off an additional electron from the atom´s shell to create a positively charged xenon ion.

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READ MORE ABOUT > icy, inert gas, ion engine, JPL, jupiter, michael, moon, moyer, nasa, neptune, space, thruster, xenon, xenon atom, xenon gas, xenon ions

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