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Well, this is interesting news.
Quote:...
The new experimental engine, called the Dual-Stage 4-Grid (DS4G) ion thruster, was designed and built under a contract with ESA in the extremely short time of four months by a dedicated team at the Australian National University. âThe success of the DS4G prototype shows what can be achieved with the passion and drive of a capable and committed team. It was an incredible experience to work with ESA to transform such an elegant idea into a record-breaking realityâ, says Dr. Orson Sutherland, the engineâs designer and leader of the development team at the ANU's Space Plasma, Power and Propulsion group." During November 2005, the DS4G engine was tested for the first time in ESAâs Electric Propulsion Laboratory at ESTEC in the Netherlands, with support from Dr Sutherland and ESA test engineers.
...
More in the link. I'd like to see where they might go with this (figuratively and literally).
--j_k
size=9]"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." -- Theodore Roosevelt[/size]
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Are you sure of the validity of the article?
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Peace cannot be obtained without war. Why? If there is already peace, it is unnecessary for war. If there is no peace, there is already war."
Visit www.neobasic.net to see rubbish in all its finest.
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Yep, 99% sure it's valid. I checked several other websites.
--j_k
size=9]"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." -- Theodore Roosevelt[/size]
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I'm positive that an ion drive has been used in extra-terrestrial vehicles already. You may want to check that out.
sh1t continues to amaze me
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It sounds impressive, but it's just getting a particle up to super high speeds then expelling it out the back of the craft. You could move the same way with a gauss gun, but this way you can just a small amount of Xeon gas to do the trick.
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Yes, ion drives aren't anything new, but I think the significance is that the technique used by the ion drive described in the article results in minimal erosion to the electric plates, so it can last a lot longer and hence the craft can accelerate to greater speeds.
The theory is exactly the same as rocket propulsion; you expell mass to cause a difference in momentum (impulse) and so get an acceleration. You're just throwing the mass out much more slowly and by different means. :p
img]http://www.cdsoft.co.uk/misc/shiftlynx.png[/img]
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Something direct from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Deep Space 1 uses Ion Drive.
http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/files//misc/ds1launchq.pdf Page 23.
Heh.
Quote:Xenon was discovered in 1898 by British Chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris W. Travers...
William Ramsay is my great great grandpa!
Anyway. That's an interesting read.
>anarky
Screwing with your reality since 1998.
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Quote:William Ramsay is my great great grandpa!
Really?
img]http://www.cdsoft.co.uk/misc/shiftlynx.png[/img]
![[Image: 1403.png]](http://file-pasta.com/r/1403.png)
