[RedWing9]

achieving 5.4 newtons of force compared with the old record of 3.3 newtons.

And how many HP is Newton?

[Phlyer]

And how many HP is Newton?

Newton is not a power measure. It's a force measure - like pounds. 5.4nt of force is about 1.1 pounds.

[Sparticus]

5.4 Newtons is about 19.29 ounces of constant thrust. That doesn’t sound like much but if the thrust is constant in a vacuum it can add up to a whole lot of speed over a period of time.

[palmerizedCaddis]

I’m older than dirt but it used to be 1 hp = 746 nm/sec.
I think

Caddis the Elder

[Campion]

Force x distance is energy. Energy per unit time is power. One newton over a distance of one meter every second is one watt. One horsepower is just under 746 watts.

5.4 newtons of force isn't much. Still, in space, where there's no friction loss, 5.4 newtons applied to one ton of mass for a week gives it another 1600 mph of velocity.

[Steely Tom]

And how many HP is Newton?

If you're moving at 17,500 mph, and the newton in question is oriented in your direction of motion, that newton is doing almost 10.5 HP worth of work on you.

So 5.4 newtons would be doing 56.6 HP of work on you, which — if sustained over many months — would add up to quite a lot of "delta-V," or acceleration.

5.4 newtons for an ion engine is stupendous. Last time I checked, they were generating forces measured in milli-newtons. I remember them being compared to the force generated by the weight of a piece of paper. This represents very impressive progress IMHO.

There are 4.45 newtons per pound.

[trebb]

Had to look it up - except for the fact that a little over a loooong period adds up to a lot, it takes a slight modification of mindset to see why this is exciting news. If this engine was working against my little 4 cylinder engine, I wouldn’t notice it and might get 1/100 of a mile less per gallon....