NASA Successfully Tests Ion Engine

Spaceref ^ | 11/20/03

[Brett66]

This new class of NEP thrusters will offer substantial performance advantages over the ion engine flown on Deep Space 1 in 1999. Overall improvements include up to a factor of 10 or more in power; a factor of two to three in fuel efficiency; a factor of four to five in grid voltage; a factor of five to eight in thruster lifetime; and a 30 percent improvement in overall thruster efficiency.

Ok, I'm impressed.

[Terpfen]

... Ion engine?

Millennium Falcon, right around the corner.

[RadioAstronomer]

Now this is cool! :-)

[LasVegasMac]

Cool.

I just want to be around when they say,..

"Warp Factor 1 - engage!"

NASA seems to have been overcome by that age old nemisis of too many chiefs. Hopefully, this is a step - a solid step - towards the future.

Oh yea, don't forget about that little "meter vs foot" thing this time, ok? Sheese.

LVM

[Experiment 6-2-6]

Millennium Falcon, right around the corner.

I'm waiting for the Ion Cannon available for home defense.. (as per Planet Hoth defense in The Empire Strikes Back)

[fiscally_right]

Can't wait to get me one o dem speeders and hunt me some womprats

[RadioAstronomer]

Cool stuff. :-)

[tubebender]

Do you want to ping the "list"...

[RadioAstronomer]

Ping. :-)

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Axenolith]

Level flight low speed (100mph) test scheduled for spring :)

[dts32041]

Actually I want to see a hammerhead fly.

[commish]

exhaust velocities from 60,000 to 80,000 meters per second

Wow. That translates to 3750 to 5000 Miles per second, or a speed of 13.5 to 18 MILLION Miles per hour.

Or 2.7% of the speed of light -- warp factor .027 Scotty. Hmm Impulse power maybe

[Brett66]

I wonder what the full potential of this technology could be if we got serious and invested a couple billion a year in the development of ion propulsion. Deep Space1 put out 90 millinewtons of thrust, this is putting out around .9 Newtons of thrust with an ISP of >6000. Could we get this past 10,000-20,000 ISP with around 100 Newtons of thrust? A technology definitely worth investigating.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

ping

[Michael Barnes]

I wonder what the full potential of this technology could be if we got serious and invested a couple billion a year in the development of ion propulsion. Deep Space1 put out 90 millinewtons of thrust, this is putting out around .9 Newtons of thrust with an ISP of >6000. Could we get this past 10,000-20,000 ISP with around 100 Newtons of thrust? A technology definitely worth investigating.

What the hell did you just say?!

English Please?

[RadioAstronomer]

ping. :-)

[Brett66]

More power! Better gas mileage!

[RadioAstronomer]

Would be a wowser. :-)