Ion thruster
By Ben Everard. Posted
This article was originally published as part of HackSpace magazine, which has since been incorporated into Raspberry Pi Official Magazine.
Ion thrusters are fascinating things, producing tiny amounts of thrust that are pretty much useless on Earth (with our inconvenient gravity). They’re far more useful in space however, as they’re smaller than rocket engines, and they don’t need atmospheric oxygen like a jet engine.
Ion thrusters are old technology, having been used since the 1950s, and now Jay Bowles, of the fascinating YouTube channel Plasma Channel, has demonstrated a way to make it better: multiple stages. By varying the input voltages and spacing between stages, Jay’s been able to experiment and produce a claimed exhaust velocity of 2.3 m per second.
Ben is the Editor of HackSpace magazine. When not wrangling words, he enjoys cycling, gardening, and attempting to identify wild mushrooms.
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