You are here:
- Home
- Science
- Physics
- Careers: Physics
- Ionic Propulsion
Careers: Physics/Ionic Propulsion
Advertisement
Question
Hello. I am 22 and doing a research paper on my views of ionic propulsion. I would appreciate any information on the subject that i could get about the efficency verses the use of a standard combustion rocket. Also, any safety aspects that would support the use of an ion engine over that of standard engines used today in spaceships. I'm also interested in any future uses that you see for ionic propulsion. Hopefully one day in the next few years i'll be able to start my career in the engineering world. But, as for now its just hitting the books. Thank you for your time. Sincerely-Dusty
Hi Dusty,
I am no expert in ionic propulsion, I am afraid. In an off-hand search of the internet I found rather vague information. There are quite a few resources that will tell you, how an ionic propulsion engine SHOULD work, but there are complications on the application side.
I would search deep in NASA's resources, as they have advanced the most in the field. I answered a question about ionic propulsion in my early days at AllExperts.com, you might want to check it out. There was an article some 10 years ago about NASA's Deep Space I project, but I don't know how successful it turned out. The prototype engine was supposed to use ionized xenon gas, whereas the operating energy was coming from solar cells with some kW power.
It only works in outer space, away from any planet's atmosphere and reach of intense gravitational field. It also has a rather longer "warm-up", certainly incapable of those on-the-spot accelerations, that scifi sometimes pictures. The solar-cells also won't do much in the interstellar space, because of the low light intensity. I personally see most use in propulsion and fine maneuvering inside our solar system, possibly in the asteroid band. When it comes to interstellar travel, it still would come useful, only if the spacecraft is designed to travel for many generations.
Like I said, I am no expert in the field. I hope I helped a little bit.
Good luck!
Daniel
- Add to this Answer
- Ask a Question
| Rating(1-10) | Knowledgeability = 7 | Clarity of Response = 10 | Politeness = 10 |
| Comment | Thank you for your help and guidence in further research. Keep up the good work. | ||
Related Articles
Daniel Mazur
Expertise
Questions anyone (teenager, undergrad, graduate, professional) may ask on physics, mathematics or inorganic chemistry. Questions may concern subjects themselves or a possible future career in them, if you need advice on a school or hobby project, or you just came across a question that is beyond your current curriculum. I answer bare textbook problems sometimes, but I reserve the the right to redirect you to Physics-Physics section. The kind of questions I like to answer: I just started having science classes at school and they seem difficult, but I enjoy them. Where do I find more information on this, which is not in textbooks but still comprehensible to me? Just leaving high school, and I feel science is really the thing for me. Can you recommend a school and an undergrad program suitable to my inclinations? I am in my second undergraduate year in Physics. We learned the basics of universe expanding this year, the Hubble constant and all that, but invited speakers that gave talks on astrophysics in our department seemed not to agree with this model at all. Is it of any use at all? I am building a [materials research] experimental device for my masters/doctorate thesis and I have the following problem:... I have tried ..., but it still doesn't work. Where might the problem be?
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.