4 ms·

Sorry, I can't keep track - is this the thruster that everyone said was fake, or is this a different one?

delecti 6y ago
As far as I can tell, this is basically an ion thruster, though I've never heard ion thrusters called Hall-effect thrusters before, so this may be a somewhat atypical sort of them. It ionizes gas to propel itself. The EM drive was basically a microwave in a sealed container that was hoped/theorized to create thrust through an unspecified/unknown mechanism, with no reaction mass coming out the back of the craft. Compare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall-effect_thruster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall-effect_thruster to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EmDrive https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EmDrive
- dr_orpheus 6y ago
  The Hall-effect thruster is a specific type of ion thruster. By far I am not an expect, but the Hall-effect is has something specifically to due with the movement of electrons creating a current in the thruster, which I believe causes the ionization. Others ionize the propellant by bombarding it with electrons to create the ionization. And as another commenter pointed out, this is not the first ion thruster on a cubesat.
deleted 6y ago
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dr_orpheus 6y ago
Nope, this is real thruster and is (somewhat) commonly used. Their claim is usage on smaller spacecraft. You may be thinking of the VASIMR thruster which while it is undergoing testing of initial versions is often thrown around as the cure-all for any potential space mission. "How are we going to get humans to Mars with current thruster technology?" "Oh it'll be a lot easier when the VASIMR drive is completed" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable_Specific_Impulse_Magnetoplasma_Rocket https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable_Specific_Impulse_Magn...
- mercurywells 6y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EmDrive https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EmDrive I think this was the one thought to be fake/ineffective.

As far as I can tell, this is basically an ion thruster, though I've never heard ion thrusters called Hall-effect thrusters before, so this may be a somewhat atypical sort of them. It ionizes gas to propel itself. The EM drive was basically a microwave in a sealed container that was hoped/theorized to create thrust through an unspecified/unknown mechanism, with no reaction mass coming out the back of the craft. Compare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall-effect_thruster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall-effect_thruster to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EmDrive https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EmDrive

dr_orpheus 6y ago
The Hall-effect thruster is a specific type of ion thruster. By far I am not an expect, but the Hall-effect is has something specifically to due with the movement of electrons creating a current in the thruster, which I believe causes the ionization. Others ionize the propellant by bombarding it with electrons to create the ionization. And as another commenter pointed out, this is not the first ion thruster on a cubesat.

deleted 6y ago

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dr_orpheus 6y ago

Nope, this is real thruster and is (somewhat) commonly used. Their claim is usage on smaller spacecraft. You may be thinking of the VASIMR thruster which while it is undergoing testing of initial versions is often thrown around as the cure-all for any potential space mission. "How are we going to get humans to Mars with current thruster technology?" "Oh it'll be a lot easier when the VASIMR drive is completed" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable_Specific_Impulse_Magnetoplasma_Rocket https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable_Specific_Impulse_Magn...

mercurywells 6y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EmDrive https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EmDrive I think this was the one thought to be fake/ineffective.