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Grid gap measurement for an nstar ion thruster
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Diaz, Esther M. Soulas, George C. |
| Copyright Year | 2006 |
| Description | The change in gap between the screen and accelerator grids of an engineering model NSTAR ion optics assembly was measured during thruster operation with beam extraction. The molybdenum ion optics assembly was mounted onto an engineering model NSTAR ion thruster. The measurement technique consisted of measuring the difference in height of an alumina pin relative to the downstream accelerator grid surface. The alumina pin was mechanically attached to the center aperture of the screen grid and protruded through the center aperture of the accelerator grid. The change in pin height was monitored using a long distance microscope coupled to a digital imaging system. Transient and steady-state hot grid gaps were measured at three power levels: 0.5, 1.5 and 2.3 kW. Also, the change in grid gap was measured during the transition between power levels, and during the startup with high voltage applied just prior to discharge ignition. Performance measurements, such as perveance, electron backstreaming limit and screen grid ion transparency, were also made to confirm that this ion optics assembly performed similarly to past testing. Results are compared to a prior test of 30 cm titanium ion optics. |
| File Size | 1425571 |
| Page Count | 18 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_20060012152 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t5bc8z15j |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 2006-04-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Spacecraft Propulsion And Power Digital Systems Imaging Techniques Ion Propulsion Titanium Rocket Engines Extraction Molybdenum Steady State Ion Optics Metal Ions Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports Server (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Technical Report |
