Electrostatic Thrusters for Microgravity Propulsion in a Pressurized Environment
Author(s)
Pina, Alexander L.; Wellman, Gregory; Garriott, Richard; Saenz Otero, Alvar; Lozano, Paulo C
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Motivated by long-term human exploration missions which could benefit from robotic assistants, a prototype thruster based on an Ion-Drag Pump was developed. This thruster utilizes no consumable propellant. Its operated by ionizing the air it floats in. Such an engine only requires recharging of its electrical power in order to propel itself in a pressurized microgravity environment. The prototypes were modeled analytically in 1D, tested using a micro-scale, and then validated in 3D aboard the ZERO-G reduced gravity aircraft. The results demonstrated that an engine with an inlet area of 5cm2 and a needle density of 1.0 needles/cm2 can provide a thrust of at least 3mN with electrical inputs of 10kV and less than 100uA. The successful demonstration is a proof of concept and opens the possibility for future engines that could provide the desired thrust to support astronauts.
Date issued
2010-03Department
Lincoln Laboratory; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Space Systems LaboratoryJournal
IEEE Aerospace Conference
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Citation
Saenz-Otero, A. et al. “Electrostatic Thrusters for Microgravity Propulsion in a Pressurized Environment.” Aerospace Conference, 2010 IEEE. 2010. 1-15. Copyright © 2010, IEEE
Version: Final published version
Other identifiers
INSPEC Accession Number: 11258229
ISBN
978-1-4244-3887-7
ISSN
1095-323X