NASA tests radical electric propulsion system

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

NASA engineers are testing the high-power solar electric propulsion systems that could soon push exploration missions further into deep space.

A stunning new image from the agency’s Glenn Research Center shows a Hall thruster ahead of ground testing in a vacuum chamber.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall-effect_thruster


The device is said to have three times the power of existing systems, and the experiments in the vacuum chamber will put it to the test of a simulated space environment, allowing engineers to see how it performs.

In the image, NASA engineer Dr Peter Peterson can be seen preparing the high-power thruster – a device that the agency says is ‘critical’ in the future of deep space exploration.

Called the Hall Effect Rocket with Magnetic Shielding (HERMeS), the device operates at 12.5 kW, making it far more powerful than current systems.

The agency plans to use these thrusters with solar electric propulsion (SEP) systems, which would allow for more cost-effective exploration of deep space, using 10 times less propellant than other systems.


The electrostatic Hall thrusters are equipped with advanced magnetic shielding, and are designed to provide ‘gentle but nonstop’ thrust for the duration of a mission.

Several Hall thrusters will be used for the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM), operating at a total power of 40 kW with solar array wings that will supply 50 kW overall.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_Redirect_Mission

 

[R-T-B]

Heh, the only hall-effect I know are hall-effect type keyswitches.

I must be a geek.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Engineers from NASA and the University of Michigan have revealed record breaking tests of a radical ion engine designed to get man to Mars.

Known as a Hall Thruster, it is one of three Mars engine prototypes currently in development, and uses electric and magnetic fields to ionize gases like xenon and expels the ions to produce thrust.

The technique is much cleaner, safer and more fuel efficient than traditional chemical rockets, but the trade off is relatively low thrust and acceleration.

A side shot of the X3 firing at a record-breaking 50 kilowatts


In the recent tests, the X3 broke three different records previously set by other Hall thrusters, a very promising step towards manned Mars missions.

The development of the thruster was led by Alec Gallimore, University of Michigan professor of aerospace engineering and the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering.

Hall thrusters offer exceptionally efficient plasma-based spacecraft propulsion by accelerating small amounts of propellant very quickly using electric and magnetic fields. They can achieve top speeds with a tiny fraction of the fuel required in a chemical rocket.

The challenge is to make them larger and more powerful.

The X3, a Hall thruster designed by researchers at U-M, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, shattered the previous thrust record set by a Hall thruster, coming in at 5.4 newtons of force compared with 3.3 newtons.

The improvement in thrust is especially important for crewed mission—it means faster acceleration and shorter travel times.

The X3 also more than doubled the operating current record (250 amperes vs. 112 amperes) and ran at a slightly higher power (102 kilowatts vs. 98 kilowatts).

https://futurism.com/we-just-completed-a-record-breaking-test-of-a-revolutionary-ion-engine/