21 Responses

1. @Altimicus : I didn’t know that, thanks for s

2. @realsupercopter VASIMIR is an ion engine, the difference is how it heats the propellant

3. How much does it’s power source weigh? I would like to research what accelerations would be possible with antimatter or nuclear power systems.

4. good explain

5. @oomblikkies : You’re right on all those point and ion engine will not be the perfect spacecraft motor, just as chemical motors aren’t either, nor nuclear yet… Maybe VASIMR ? … Anyway we still have work ahead of us to conquer space !

6. @realsupercopter I am aware of those missions, in fact one mission went to the moon. Yes, braking is often not needed – like with the chemical propelled New Horizon craft to Pluto, but there are concerns that due to the Jupiter sling acceleration, the craft will travel so fast that not much time will be available to study Pluto properly. Half way braking is an option but that will increase the flight time to distant objects tremendously.

7. @oomblikkies : according to the wikipedia article “Ion thruster” at least 9 space missions have used ion propulsion so the whole idea is not totally defeated ;-)
   Surely braking can be an issue but depending on the mission profile sometimes braking may not be needed (GOCE) or can be achieved directly with the ion engine (Hayabusa) by braking long before reaching the target.

8. @realsupercopter No, I remember with MRO (Mars Rec. Orbiter) and also the Cassini craft to Saturn, that chemical braking had to be applied. The point is for ion propulsion to be competitive the spacecraft has to travel very fast but it is going way too fast at the end of the journey. To carry propellants all the way just for the braking is defeating the whole idea of ion propulsion because the additional mass will make the ion drive too slow.

9. @oomblikkies : Gravity swings-by and/or atmospheric drag can do the trick I suppose…

10. Excellent video… ion propulsion seems fine, but how do you stop the spacecraft when you have reached your destination?

11. @fireboot1 Obama and his administration cut nasas budget big time. Were not going to test the ion drive in space until he is out of office. Or go to mars or the moon or launch a shuttle.

12. @Jfoo111 ion engine is not the future. they already have made working ion drives. NASA is going to test in space 2011

13. you know what they should do though? make a spacecraft with a regular chemical rocket engine but also an ion engine and a large solar sail. Both engines would turn on at the same time. The chemical rocket would just accelerate the craft really fast and burn up all its fuel but at the same time the ion engine and solar sail would slowly increase the speed more and more. Eventually the ion engine would run out but then you still got the solar sail to keep accelerating.

14. Ion drive is the future!

15. very nice visual comparison

16. Thanks a lot !
    You’re right, Space exploration brings us a lot of achievements and one day it will certainly save humanity, by saving our earth or by giving us new places to live on.
    By the way, I didn’t create this video : the European Space Agency (ESA) did.

17. Very, very good representation. I applaud you for creating this video. More people need to see how the space program is so important, I just don’t get how people blow it off so easily, when it’s been responsible for so many technological achievements in modern history.

18. take off will be even less exciting… efficient though.

19. Burn Ion engine, burn !

20. How can I build this?

21. Suppose you built a more complex model so the rotor and stator were fixed together but shaped so combed ions interacted with a magnetic steel core. Do that and place a balance scale a few inches above it.