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Status of the nasa's evolutionary xenon thruster (next) long-duration test after 30,352 hours of operation
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Herman, Daniel A. |
| Copyright Year | 2010 |
| Description | The NASA s Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) program is tasked with significantly improving and extending the capabilities of current state-of-the-art NSTAR thruster. The service life capability of the NEXT ion thruster is being assessed by thruster wear test and life-modeling of critical thruster components, such as the ion optics and cathodes. The NEXT Long-Duration Test (LDT) was initiated to validate and qualify the NEXT thruster propellant throughput capability. The NEXT thruster completed the primary goal of the LDT; namely to demonstrate the project qualification throughput of 450 kg by the end of calendar year 2009. The NEXT LDT has demonstrated 30,352 hr of operation and processed 490 kg of xenon throughput--surpassing the NSTAR Extended Life Test hours demonstrated and more than double the throughput demonstrated by the NSTAR flight-spare. Thruster performance changes have been consistent with a priori predictions. Thruster erosion has been minimal and consistent with the thruster service life assessment, which predicts the first failure mode at greater than 750 kg throughput. The life-limiting failure mode for NEXT is predicted to be loss of structural integrity of the accelerator grid due to erosion by charge-exchange ions. |
| File Size | 3077124 |
| Page Count | 43 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_20110000522 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t7tn26n5w |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 2010-11-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Spacecraft Propulsion And Power Service Life Propellants Xenon Ion Propulsion Ion Engines Wear Tests Charge Transfer Ion Optics Thrustors Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports Server (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
