DiscoverThe 365 Days of AstronomyGuide To Space - How Do Ion Engines Work?
Guide To Space - How Do Ion Engines Work?

Guide To Space - How Do Ion Engines Work?

Update: 2024-11-07
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H0qsqZjLW0

The Most Efficient Propulsion System Out There

From  May 15, 2018.

People always ask me why we’re stuck with chemical rockets. Seriously, exploding a bunch of hydrogen or kerosene is the best we can do? 

 

Good news, there are other, exotic science fiction-sounding propulsion systems out there which use electromagnetic fields to accelerate atoms, allowing their spacecraft to accelerate for months at a time. 

 

I’m talking about ion engines, of course, and several spacecraft have already used these exotic thrusters to perform some of the most amazing missions in the exploration of the Solar System. 

 

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Guide To Space - How Do Ion Engines Work?

Guide To Space - How Do Ion Engines Work?