Colloid thruster

20 μN colloid thruster system.[1]

A colloid thruster (or "electrospray thruster") is a type of low thrust electric propulsion rocket engine that uses electrostatic acceleration of charged liquid droplets for propulsion. In a colloid thruster, charged liquid droplets are produced by an electrospray process and then accelerated by a static electric field. The liquid used for this application tends to be a low-volatility ionic liquid.

Like other ion thrusters, its benefits include high efficiency, thrust density, and specific impulse; however it has very low total thrust, on the order of micronewtons. It provides very fine attitude control or efficient acceleration of small spacecraft over long periods of time.

Flight use

An electrospray thruster is being used in space on the ST-7 LISA Pathfinder mission, to demonstrate disturbance reduction.[2]

By the end of April 2015, Busek had developed a smaller colloid thruster capable of generating 20 mN in a 17.8 x 17.8 x 4.3 cm (7"×7"×1.7") package.[3]

Experiments

In July 2013, scientists from Michigan Technological University and the University of Maryland led by Kurt Terhune demonstrated an electrospray system within a transmission electron microscope (TEM). This led to the discovery that the TEM environment formed needle-like structures on the thruster disrupting the way the electrospray system works.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "MicroNewton Thruster (MNT)". Glenn Research Center -NASA. 1998. Retrieved 2016-08-11.
  2. ↑ "ST7 Lisa Pathfinder". busek.com. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  3. ↑ 20mN, Variable Specific Impulse Colloid Thruster, Phase II Project. 2015. NASA.
  4. ↑ Watch a Tiny Space Rocket Work, Allison Mills, Michigan Tech, 8 August 2016, accessed 11 August 2016

External links

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