For more info on Hall-effect thrusters and the NASA Psyche mission, check out this earlier thread.
https://fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/114433840663856994
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Hall-effect thrusters work by ionizing atoms of a gas like Xenon, accelerating them to high speeds and expelling them to generate a gentle steady thrust. Electrons emitted by the cathode circulate around an annular ceramic channel guided by a magnetic field. Xenon atoms, injected
FosstodonAkaSci 🛰️ (@[email protected])Attached: 1 image
Hall-effect thrusters work by ionizing atoms of a gas like Xenon, accelerating them to high speeds and expelling them to generate a gentle steady thrust.
Electrons emitted by the cathode circulate around an annular ceramic channel guided by a magnetic field. Xenon atoms, injected along the anode, get ionized by the high energy electrons.The ionized Xenon plasma is accelerated a