Ion Thruster for Future Mars Mission Breaks Records

Real Clear Science ^ | 14 Oct, 2017 | Tereza Pultarova

[MtnClimber]

A thruster that's being developed for a future NASA mission to Mars broke several records during recent tests, suggesting that the technology is on track to take humans to the Red Planet within the next 20 years, project team members said.

The X3 thruster, which was designed by researchers at the University of Michigan in cooperation with NASA and the U.S. Air Force, is a Hall thruster — a system that propels spacecraft by accelerating a stream of electrically charged atoms, known as ions. In the recent demonstration conducted at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio, the X3 broke records for the maximum power output, thrust and operating current achieved by a Hall thruster to date, according to the research team at the University of Michigan and representatives from NASA.

"We have shown that X3 can operate at over 100 kW of power," said Alec Gallimore, who is leading the project, in an interview with Space.com. "It operated at a huge range of power from 5 kW to 102 kW, with electrical current of up to 260 amperes. It generated 5.4 Newtons of thrust, which is the highest level of thrust achieved by any plasma thruster to date," added Gallimore, who is dean of engineering at the University of Michigan. The previous record was 3.3 Newtons, according to the school.

[Tucker39]

Yes, I read that, too. But we’re talking hundreds of KWs to power that thing. And current up to 260 amperes! How many square miles of solar panels can they put on a space vehicle? That’s got to generate HEAT. How will they cool the circuitry? How greatly do they embellish their progress to keep the grant money pouring in?

[Fhios]

Well, I think some genius is going to figure out a way where they can go full acceleration 3/4 of the way there and start slowing down and completing the flight by gravity breaking around mars or/and one of it’s moons.

You ask me, mars is interesting, but a large asteroid might have a bigger payoff.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

So it can get to Mars in 100 years.

[TexasGator]

“Yes, I read that, too. But we’re talking hundreds of KWs to power that thing. And current up to 260 amperes! How many square miles of solar panels can they put on a space vehicle? That’s got to generate HEAT. How will they cool the circuitry? How greatly do they embellish their progress to keep the grant money pouring in?”

Our probes are getting 300 watts/meter squared thus 100kw would require about 333 meters squared or about a 10 by 33 meter size (35 x 100 feet).

As for heat, space is very very cold!

[TexasGator]

“So it can get to Mars in 100 years.”

After six weeks it will be traveling one million miles per day.

[BobL]

“I wonder if you have to start slowing down when you are half way there?”

Yes and no. If you have some type of friction braking when you get there, like dragging a chute through the very thin Mars atmosphere or a heat shield, then you won’t need to slow down nearly as much before you get there. Same on the return.

[Tucker39]

Thanks again. I think I’ll hide and watch.

[DaxtonBrown]

That’s about 2.5 pounds of thrust.

[bitterohiogunclinger]

Next year, the team will run an even bigger test, which aims to prove that the thruster can operate at full power for 100 hours. Gallimore said the engineers are also designing a special magnetic shielding system that would keep the plasma away from the walls of the thruster to prevent damage and enable the thruster to operate reliably for even longer periods of time. Gallimore said that without the shielding a flight version X3 would probably start experiencing problems after several thousand hours of operations.

In addition, there is the problem of generating 500 kw of power. At 20 watts per square foot it would require a massive solar array.

[tony549]

I would assume that nuclear power will be used to power the half megawatt rated ion thrusters.

[YogicCowboy]

Macroscope. Piers Anthony.

[wgmalabama]

Combine it with a RTG source put it into space and set a record in a month. Why don’t we push the boundaries anymore.

Build a probe just to push the envelope with a this with a RTG and a big ping antenna. Slingshot it out of the solar system.

[YogicCowboy]

Yep. SM was a fairly nice model.

[MtnClimber]

I wonder about what the average distance would be before a spacecraft hit something big enough to damage it.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Regular Newtons or Fig Newtons?

Big Fig Newtons...

[kanawa]

Citroen 2CV

A Deux Chevaux!

My 1st auto
Unique and fun...
...and yes I was a hippy :)

[2001convSVT]

Any idea what the ions being used are?

[TXnMA]

"Weighs 500lbs and only generates 5 Newton’s of thrust."

~~~~~~

Actually, it.s 5.4 Newtons which equals a whole 1.214 lbf...

Somehow, for 102 kW, with electrical current of up to 260 amperes, a little over a pound of thrust doesn't seem too exciting.

Of course, I guess one has to ask, "What is the reaction mass consumption at that 1.214 lbf level?

[usconservative]

But first you have to overcome mass. The thing will accelerate like a Citroen 2CV loaded with six fat hippies.

The momentum once that thing gets moving though, it's gonna be unstoppable! (ROFL!)

[cynwoody]

Somehow, for 102 kW, with electrical current of up to 260 amperes, a little over a pound of thrust doesn't seem too exciting.

In outer space, there is no friction. That means all of the thrust goes toward accelerating the vehicle. It just goes faster and faster. If the thrust can be maintained over a long period of time, all you need is patience, and you will be traveling really fast.