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Full-Text Articles in Aerospace Engineering
The Design And Development Of A Miniature Gridded Ecr Ion Thruster, Nicholas Nuzzo
The Design And Development Of A Miniature Gridded Ecr Ion Thruster, Nicholas Nuzzo
Masters Theses
Plasma propulsion, a specific subset of electric propulsion (EP), is a class of space propulsion that produces plasma by excitation of a propellant at or above its ionization energy. This ionized propellant is then accelerated by an externally applied field (magnetic and/or electric) and produces thrust. There is an increasing need for miniaturization in spacecraft technology and the use of plasma EP devices in space propulsion. These systems provide an advantage over traditional chemical propulsion solutions which are less efficient and have more mass. Miniaturization of EP devices allows missions to have more space and mass available for their payloads …
A Numerical Optimization Study Of A Novel Electrospray Emitter Design, Joshua H. Howell
A Numerical Optimization Study Of A Novel Electrospray Emitter Design, Joshua H. Howell
Masters Theses
The low thrust and high specific impulse of electric propulsion has been brought to the forefront for CubeSat and small spacecraft applications. Electrospray thrusters, which operate via electrostatic principles, have seen much research, development, and application in recent years. The small sizes of the spacecraft that utilize electrospray thrusters has focused development into the miniaturization of this technology to the micro-scale. Miniaturization introduces design challenges that must be addressed, including power supply mass and footprint requirements. This consequence requires investigation into the effects of design choices on the thruster onset voltage, defined as the voltage at which ion emission begins. …