Instruments design and testing for a Hall thruster plume experiment on the space shuttle

Abstract

The Electric Thruster Environmental Effects Verification experiment (ETEEV) is designed to obtain in-space measurements in the plume and backflow regions of lowpower thrusters. The ETEEV payload will be installed on a Hitchhiker-palette onboard the Shuttle and will use plasma diagnostics mounted on the palette as well as on an articulated boom. Other objectives include contamination measurements, performance evaluation and optical diagnostics. This work presents first a review of recent papers on the instruments that are available to achieve these mission objectives; then the requirements and status of the ETEEV payload components are explained. Finally, a more precise design of some of the diagnostics is presented, as well as results of ground-based testing at MIT's Space Propulsion Laboratory facility.