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| Version | Summary | Created by | Modification | Content Size | Created at | Operation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dean Liu | -- | 1066 | 2022-11-23 01:41:40 |
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An electrically powered spacecraft propulsion system uses electrical, and possibly also magnetic fields, to change the velocity of a spacecraft. Most of these kinds of spacecraft propulsion systems work by electrically expelling propellant (reaction mass) at high speed. Electric thrusters typically use much less propellant than chemical rockets because they have a higher exhaust speed (operate at a higher specific impulse) than chemical rockets. Due to limited electric power the thrust is much weaker compared to chemical rockets, but electric propulsion can provide thrust for a longer time. Electric propulsion is now a mature and widely used technology on spacecraft. Russia n satellites have used electric propulsion for decades. (As of 2019), over 500 spacecraft operated throughout the Solar System use electric propulsion for station keeping, orbit raising, or primary propulsion. In the future, the most advanced electric thrusters may be able to impart a delta-v of 100 km/s, which is enough to take a spacecraft to the outer planets of the Solar System (with nuclear power), but is insufficient for interstellar travel. An electric rocket with an external power source (transmissible through laser on the photovoltaic panels) has a theoretical possibility for interstellar flight. However, electric propulsion is not suitable for launches from the Earth's surface, as it offers too little thrust. On a journey to Mars, an electrically powered ship might be able to carry 70% of its initial mass to the destination, while a chemical rocket could carry only a few percent.
References
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- Choueiri, Edgar Y. (2004). "A Critical History of Electric Propulsion: The First 50 Years (1906–1956)". Journal of Propulsion and Power 20 (2): 193–203. doi:10.2514/1.9245. http://alfven.princeton.edu/publications/choueiri-jpp-2004.
- "PROJECT DAEDALUS: THE PROPULSION SYSTEM Part 1; Theoretical considerations and calculations. 2. REVIEW OF ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS". Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130628001133/http://daedalus-zvezdolet.narod.ru/doceng/07eng.doc.
- Administrator, NASA Content (14 April 2015). "Glenn Contributions to Deep Space 1". http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/history/ds1.html.
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- NASA Glenn, "SPACE ELECTRIC ROCKET TEST II (SERT II)" (Accessed 1 July 2010) http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/ion/past/70s/sert2.htm
- SERT page at Astronautix (Accessed 1 July 2010) http://www.astronautix.com/craft/sert.htm
- de Selding, Peter B. (20 June 2013). "Electric-propulsion Satellites Are All the Rage". SpaceNews. http://spacenews.com/35894electric-propulsion-satellites-are-all-the-rage/.
- "Native Electric Propulsion Engines Today" (in ru). Novosti Kosmonavtiki. 1999. http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/numbers/198/35.shtml.
- NASA, Tethers In Space Handbook, edited by M.L. Cosmo and E.C. Lorenzini, Third Edition December 1997 (accessed 20 October 2010); see also version at NASA MSFC; available on scribd https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19980018321_1998056794.pdf
- "Why Shawyer's 'electromagnetic relativity drive' is a fraud". http://johncostella.webs.com/shawyerfraud.pdf.
- "Electric versus Chemical Propulsion". Electric Spacecraft Propulsion. ESA. http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=34201&fbodylongid=1535.
