Ion propulsion

Space

NASA's X3 ion thruster smashes records in test firings

Michael Irving October 23, 2017

On the road to getting humans to Mars, engineers from NASA and the University of Michigan have successfully tested the X3, a thruster designed to get us to Mars. And it’s broken several records in the process.

The X3 thruster being tested at the NASA Glenn Research Center, firing at 50 kilowatts

Materials

Ion-emitting ferrofluid spikes could propel small satellites

Michael Franco July 12, 2017

Orbiting satellites are mostly propelled by gravity. But electrospray propulsion is sometimes used to reposition them. The fine nozzles in such systems are notoriously prone to breakage though, so researchers developed a way to create them out of their own fuel source, making them self-healing.

Ferrofluids can not only act as a fuel source, they can create part of the engine ...