| NASA Center: |
Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
|---|
| Image # : |
P49722BC |
|---|
| Date : |
01/01/1999
|
|---|
|
Title
Ion Engine Test Firing
Full Description
This image of a xenon ion engine, photographed through a port of the
vacuum chamber where it was being tested at NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, shows the faint blue glow of charged atoms being emitted
from the engine.
The ion propulsion engine is the first non-chemical propulsion to be
used as the primary means of propelling a spacecraft. The first flight
in NASA's New Millennium Program, Deep Space 1 is designed to validate
12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Ion
propulsion was first proposed in the 1950s and NASA performed experiments on
this highly efficient propulsion system in the 1960s, but it was not used
aboard an American spacecraft until the 1990s.
Deep Space 1 was launched in October 1998 as part of NASA's New
Millennium Program, which is managed by JPL for NASA's Office of Space
Science, Washington, DC. The California Institute of Technology in
Pasadena manages JPL for NASA.
The almost imperceptible thrust from the ion propulsion system is
equivalent to the pressure exerted by a sheet of paper held in the palm
of your hand. The ion engine is very slow to pick up speed, but over
the long haul it can deliver 10 times as much thrust per pound of fuel
as more traditional rockets.
Unlike the fireworks of most chemical rockets using solid or liquid
fuels, the ion drive emits only an eerie blue glow as ionized
(electrically charged) atoms of xenon are pushed out of the engine.
Xenon is the same gas found in photo flash tubes and many lighthouse
bulbs.
Keywords
Xenon Ion Engine New Millennium Program Deep Space I Jet Propulsion Laboratory JPL Ion Propulsion
Subject Category
Rocket Propulsion, Space Probes,
Reference Numbers
- Center:
JPL
- Center Number:
P49722BC
- GRIN DataBase Number:
GPN-2000-000482
Source Information
- Creator/Photographer: NASA
- Original Source: DIGITAL
| Resolution | Format | Width
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(Pixels) | Size
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67 |
12 |
Small |
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474 |
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Medium |
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1410 |
1112 |
1,889 |
Large |
.jpg |
1880 |
1482 |
3,391 |
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Updated October 31, 2002
• History Questions: NASA History Office
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