A description is given of the work at the RAE devoted to the development of a 10 mN mercury electron bombardment thruster system. The present thruster has a discharge loss of 280 eV/ion and is capable of producing a focussed ion beam at an exhaust velocity of less than 30 km/s, operating with efficient vaporizers and hollow cathode. Some progress was made with flight type power supplies, a breadboard beam power supply having been built and tested, which, together with its control electronics, has an efficiency of 95 pct.


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    Title :

    Ion Engine Development at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough


    Contributors:
    B. P. Day (author) / D. G. Fearn (author) / G. E. Burton (author)

    Publication date :

    1971


    Size :

    34 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English