NASA Successfully Tests Ion Engine

Spaceref ^ | 11/20/03

[Brett66]

NASA Successfully Tests Ion Engine

NASA's Project Prometheus recently reached an important milestone with the first successful test of an engine that could lead to revolutionary propulsion capabilities for space exploration missions throughout the solar system and beyond.

The test involved a High Power Electric Propulsion (HiPEP) ion engine. The event marked the first in a series of performance tests to demonstrate new high-velocity and high- power thrust needed for use in nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) applications.

"The initial test went extremely well," said Dr. John Foster, the primary investigator of the HiPEP ion engine at NASA's Glenn Research Center (GRC), Cleveland. "The test involved the largest microwave ion thruster ever built. The use of microwaves for ionization would enable very long-life thrusters for probing the universe," he said.

The test was conducted in a vacuum chamber at GRC. The HiPEP ion engine was operated at power levels up to 12 kilowatts and over an equivalent range of exhaust velocities from 60,000 to 80,000 meters per second. The thruster is being designed to provide seven-to-ten-year lifetimes at high fuel efficiencies of more than 6,000-seconds specific impulse; a measure of how much thrust is generated per pound of fuel. This is a contrast to Space Shuttle main engines, which have a specific impulse of 460 seconds.

The HiPEP thruster operates by ionizing xenon gas with microwaves. At the rear of the engine is a pair of rectangular metal grids that are charged with 6,000 volts of electric potential. The force of this electric field exerts a strong electrostatic pull on the xenon ions, accelerating them and producing the thrust that propels the spacecraft. The rectangular shape, a departure from the cylindrical ion thrusters used before, was designed to allow for an increase in engine power and performance by means of stretching the engine. The use of microwaves should provide much longer life and ion-production capability compared to current state-of- the-art technologies.

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. GRC engineers will continue testing and development of this particular thruster model, culminating in performance tests at full power levels of 25 kilowatts.

"This test represents a huge leap in demonstrating the potential for advanced ion technologies, which could propel flagship space exploration missions throughout the solar system and beyond," said Alan Newhouse, Director, Project Prometheus. "We commend the work of Glenn and the other NASA Centers supporting this ambitious program."

HiPEP is one of several candidate propulsion technologies under study by Project Prometheus for possible use on the first proposed flight mission, the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO). Powered by a small nuclear reactor, electric thrusters would propel the JIMO spacecraft as it conducts close-range observations of Jupiter's three icy moons, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. The three moons could contain water, and where there is water, there is the possibility of life.

Development of the HiPEP ion engine is being carried out by a team of engineers from GRC; Aerojet, Redmond, Wash.; Boeing Electron Dynamic Devices, Torrance, Calif.; Ohio Aerospace Institute, Cleveland; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.; Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo.; and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.

[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. :-)

[RadioAstronomer]

You would like this thread. :-)

[Kirkwood]

Hey! Wait a minute. Ion engines?! Aren't we supposed to be 40 years behind the Chinese in space technology? Why I heard they are going to put a man on the moon in our lifetime! Zowie!

[billbears]

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

And just who would do this 'investing'? The taxpayer? Granted I think it's an interesting and cool idea, but is it something I want the government to take care of?

[Brett66]

Let's say this engine's thrust was scalable to space shuttle power levels. If you had an specific impulse of 20,000 you would only need 1/44th the fuel to reach the same velocity.

[Brett66]

We've wasted almost 100 billion on the ISS, so yes, this would be a far better use of money.

[Michael Barnes]

re #24

whoa..

[eddie willers]

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

When you put it that way....it loses some of it's pizzazz.

[billbears]

So we quit wasting dollars in one place to go spend them somewhere else. Who said conservatives wanted to limit government, we've got Republicans in control!! Our waste is good waste, is that it?

[Brett66]

The senior prescription drug bill will cost around 400 billion, I hope your about 200 times more concerned about that.

[xp38]

The Empire has a penchant for these.

[Diddley]

Thanks for the ping.

I was just reading this article earlier tonight.

[Harlequin]

This is our purpose as a race. Out of the sea, on to the land. Into the air. Near space. Far space.

Otherwise there's no real reason for being.

[Steely Tom]

Bears a spooky resemblance to the exhaust ports on the spaceship Discovery depicted so beautifully in the Kubrick's 2001

. (steely)

[billbears]

It may be our 'purpose' as a race but it is not the 'purpose' of the national government. Unless of course you can find a valid and unchallengable reasoning for research and development, for no other reason than just to do it, by the national government in the Constitution

[billbears]

The senior prescription drug bill will cost around 400 billion, I hope your about 200 times more concerned about that.

Yes I am as that is government waste as well. I remember when conservatives, a short ten years ago, blocked healthcare bills. Of course that's when more than a handful were more concerned with doing their job than gaining votes....

[StriperSniper]

BTTT

[LasVegasMac]

Actually I want to see a hammerhead fly.

It already has.

Many hours of flight time...many hours of combat time.

Many enemy airplanes blown out of the sky.

Many rounds of 20mm heaped upon the hated enemy's head.

Lots of combat pilots that swear by it.

Like the commercial said, "takes a beating and keeps on ticking."

I am, of course, talking about the almighty - everyone take a deep breath, lower your eyes in respect - .....

The mighty F-4 Phantom / II, produced with loving care by McDonnell Douglas**.

Living proof that with enough thrust - all hail the J-79 - anything can fly.

And fly it did.

With the newer, elite machines - the F-16 and the F-15.

And did it's job. Again. Please research the Gulf War Air Op's - we be the Weasels and God knows you fear us!

This would be the "Hammerhead" to which you are referring, no?

Big....Ugly (only to those that don't know)....Fast...and...

very deadly.

**The F-15 Eagle / Strike Eagle. Another fine product from McDonnell Douglas. An updated F-4.

LVM

[Bogey78O]

That rarely happens nowadays.

[Bogey78O]

Well we'll need a workhorse if ever we want to get to mars.

[LasVegasMac]

I missed your point, what rarely happens nowadays?

LVM

[Bogey78O]

Losing multimillion dollar projects because we convert wrong.

[Centurion2000]

Could we get this past 10,000-20,000 ISP with around 100 Newtons of thrust? A technology definitely worth investigating

It would be slow but extremely efficient for long flights for light spacecraft ..... exciting times indeed ....

We could catch and retrieve Voyager and Pioneer spacecraft with these.

[Silvermont]

....pair of rectangular grids that are charged with 6,000 volts...

Yes...but then you will need a 5 story building size electric power plant to provide the volts. Just kidding.

[fiscally_right]

"is it something I want the government to take care of?"

Its something I want to see the government take care of.. Staying ahead in space technology is a national security issue.

[Blue Scourge]

where do I sign up to get one of those installed on my 4-wheeler?

[Green Knight]

I don't understand word one of what's being said, so let's break it down to laymans' terms.

1. Does anyone know how long it'd approximately take to normally get to Mars?

2. Does anyone know approximately how long it'd take to get to Mars with this thing?

That's all I want to know.

[wideminded]

this is putting out around .9 Newtons of thrust

I figured .3 Newtons with power of 12 KW and velocity of 80000 meters per second, but maybe I made a mistake. Oddly, I first read about ion engines in the Weekly Reader, an elementary school publication. That was a very long time ago. Let's just say it has taken several decades and we are just getting to 1 Newton of thrust.

[Straight Vermonter]

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

Not quite.

80,000 meters per second is 80Km per second which is about 50 miles per second not 5000 miles per second.

[stylin_geek]

You have to remember this is a single engine, what would happen if they were clustered?