Top
Understand the fundamental basis of spaceflight with this cutting-edge guide
As spacecraft engineering continues to advance, so too do the propulsion methods by which human beings can seek out the stars. Ion thrusters and Hall thrusters have been the subject of considerable innovation in recent years, and spacecraft propulsion has never been more efficient. For professionals within and adjacent to spacecraft engineering, this is critical knowledge that can alter the future of space flight.
Fundamentals of Electric Propulsion offers a thorough grounding in electric propulsion for spacecraft, particularly the features and mechanisms underlying Ion and Hall thrusters. Updated in the light of rapidly expanding knowledge, the second edition of this essential guide detailed coverage of thruster principles, plasma physics, and more. It reflects the historic output of the legendary Jet Propulsion Laboratory and promises to continue as a must-own volume for spacecraft engineering professionals.
Readers of the second edition of Fundamentals of Electric Propulsion readers will also find:
Fundamentals of Electric Propulsion is an essential work for spacecraft engineers and researchers working in spacecraft propulsion and related fields, as well as graduate students in electric propulsion, aerospace science, and space science courses.
Dan M. Goebel, PhD, is a Fellow and Senior Research Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Adjunct Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Electrical Engineeringat UCLA. He is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering, and also a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors , the IEEE, the AIAA, and the American Physical Society. He is presently the Chief Engineer of the NASA Psyche Mission and also develops advanced electric propulsion thrusters, cathodes and other spacecraft technologies.
Ira Katz, PhD, is an aerospace consultant specializing in electric propulsion and spacecraft charging. He retired from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory after leading the Electric Propulsion group and researching electric propulsion physics. Previously, he worked in industry investigating spacecraft charging and headed the team that developed the NASA Charging Analyzer Program, NASCAP.
Ioannis G. Mikellides, PhD, is a Senior Research Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a Fellow of the AIAA. In the last three decades his research on the theory and numerical simulation of plasmas has spanned a wide range of applications, both in and beyond electric propulsion. He is also the main author of the scientific plasma codes OrCa2D and Hall2De, which have been supporting NASA’s space flight qualification of hollow cathodes and Hall thrusters for years.
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Electric Propulsion Background
1.2 Electric Thruster Types
1.3 Electrostatic Thrusters
1.3.1 Ion Thrusters
1.3.2 Hall Thrusters
1.4 Electromagnetic Thrusters
1.4.1 Magnetoplasmadynamic Thrusters
1.4.2 Pulsed Plasma Thrusters
1.4.3 Pulsed Inductive Thrusters
1.5 Beam/Plume Characteristics
References
Chapter 2: Thruster Principles
2.1 The Rocket Equation
2.2 Force Transfer in Electric Thrusters
2.2.1 Ion Thrusters
2.2.2 Hall Thrusters
2.2.3 Electromagnetic Thrusters
2.3 Thrust
2.4 Specific Impulse
2.5 Thruster Efficiency
2.6 Power Dissipation
2.7 Neutral Densities and Ingestion
Problems
References
Chapter 3: Basic Plasma Physics
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Maxwell’s Equations
3.3 Single Particle Motions
3.4 Particle Energies and Velocities
3.5 Plasma as a Fluid
3.5.1 Momentum Conservation
3.5.2 Particle Conservation
3.5.3 Energy Conservation
3.6 Diffusion in Partially Ionized Plasma
3.6.1 Collisions
3.6.2 Diffusion and Mobility Without a Magnetic Field
3.6.3 Diffusion Across Magnetic Fields
3.7 Sheaths at the Boundaries of Plasmas
3.7.1 Debye Sheaths
3.7.2 Pre-Sheaths
3.7.3 Child–Langmuir Sheath
3.7.4 Generalized Sheath Solution
3.7.5 Double Sheaths
3.7.6 Summary of Sheath Effects
Problems
References
Chapter 4: Hollow Cathodes
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Cathode Configurations
4.3 Thermionic Electron Emitters
4.4 Insert Region
4.5 Orifice Region
4.6 Cathode Plume Region
4.7 Heating and Thermal Models
4.7.1 Hollow Cathode Heaters
4.7.2 Heaterless Hollow Cathodes
4.7.3 Hollow Cathode Thermal Models
4.8 Hollow Cathode Life
4.8.1 Dispenser Cathode Insert-Region Plasmas
4.8.2 BaO Cathode Insert Temperature
4.8.3 Barium Depletion Model
4.8.4 Bulk-Material Insert Life
4.8.5 Cathode Poisoning
4.9 Keeper Wear and Life
4.10 Discharge Behavior and Instabilities
4.10.1 Discharge Modes
4.10.2 Suppression of Instabilities and Energetic Ion Production
4.10.3 Hollow Cathode Discharge Characteristics
Problems
References
Chapter 5: Ion Thruster Plasma Generators
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Idealized Ion Thruster Plasma Generator
5.3 DC Discharge Ion Thrusters
5.3.1 Generalized 0-D Ring-Cusp Ion Thruster Model
5.3.2 Magnetic Multipole Boundaries
5.3.3 Electron Confinement
5.3.4 Ion Confinement at the Anode Wall
5.3.5 Neutral and Primary Densities in the Discharge Chamber
5.3.6 Ion and Excited Neutral Production
5.3.7 Electron Temperature
5.3.8 Primary Electron Density
5.3.9 Power and Energy Balance in the Discharge Chamber
5.3.10 Discharge Loss
5.3.11 Discharge Stability
5.3.12 Recycling Behavior
5.3.13 Limitations of a 0-D Model
5.4 Kaufman Ion Thrusters
5.5 rf Ion Thrusters
5.6 Microwave Ion Thrusters
5.7 2-D Computer Models of the Ion Thruster
Discharge Chamber
5.7.1 Neutral Atom Model
5.7.2 Primary Electron Motion and Ionization Model
5.7.3 Discharge Chamber Model Results
Problems
References
Chapter 6: Ion Thruster Accelerator Grids
6.1 Grid Configurations
6.2 Ion Accelerator Basics
6.3 Ion Optics
6.3.1 Ion Trajectories
6.3.2 Perveance Limits
6.3.3 Grid Expansion and Alignment
6.4 Electron Backstreaming
6.5 High Voltage Considerations
6.5.1 Electrode Breakdown
6.5.2 Molybdenum Electrodes
6.5.3 Carbon–Carbon Composite Materials
6.5.4 Pyrolytic Graphite
6.5.5 Voltage Hold-off and Conditioning in Ion Accelerators
6.6 Ion Accelerator Grid Life
6.6.1 Grid Models
6.6.2 Barrel Erosion
6.6.3 Pits-and-Grooves Erosion
Problems
References
Chapter 7: Conventional Hall Thrusters
7.1 Introduction
7.1.1 Discharge Channel with Dielectric Walls (SPT)
7.1.2 Discharge Channel with Metallic Walls (TAL)
7.2 Operating Principles and Scaling
7.2.1 Crossed-Field Structure and the Hall Current
7.2.2 Ionization Length and Scaling
7.2.3 Plasma Potential and Current Distributions
7.3 Performance Models
7.3.1 Thruster Efficiency Definitions
7.3.2 Multiply-Charged Ion Correction
7.3.3 Dominant Power Loss Mechanisms
7.3.4 Electron Temperature
7.3.5 Efficiency of Thrusters with Dielectric Walls
7.3.6 Efficiency of TAL Thrusters Metallic Walls
7.3.7 Comparison of Thrusters with Dielectric and Metallic Walls
7.4 Discharge Dynamics and Oscillations
7.5 Channel Physics and Numerical Modeling
7.5.1 Basic Model Equations
7.5.2 Numerical Modeling and Simulations
7.6 Operational Life of Conventional Hall Thrusters
Problems
References
Chapter 8: Magnetically Shielded Hall Thrusters
8.1 Introduction
8.2 First Principles of Magnetic Shielding
8.3 The Protective Capabilties of Magnetic Shielding
8.3.1 Numerical Simulations
8.3.2 Laboratory Experiments and Model Validation
8.4 Magnetically Shielded Hall Thrusters with
Electrically Conducting Walls
8.5 Magnetic Shielding Low Power Hall Thrusters
8.4 Remarks on Magnetic Shielding in Hall Thrusters
References
Chapter 9: Electromagnetic Thrusters
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) Thrusters
9.2.1 Self Field MPD Thrusts
9.2.2 Applied-Field MPD Thrusters
9.2.3 Onset Phenomenon
9.2.4 MPD Thruster Performance Parameters
9.3 Ablative Pulsed Plasma Thrusters
9.3.1 Thruster Configurations and Performance
9.3.2 Physics and Modeling
9.4 Pulsed Inductive Thrusters
9.4.1 Thruster Performance
9.4.2 Physics and Modeling
References
Chapter 10: Future Directions in Electric Propulsion
10.1 Hall Thruster Developments
10.1.1 Alternative Propellants
10.1.2 Nested Channel Hall Thrusters for Higher Power
10.1.3 Double Stage Ionization and Acceleration Regions
10.1.4 Multipole Magnetic Fields in Hall Thrusters
10.2 Ion Thruster Developments
10.2.1 Alternative Propellants
10.2.2 Grid Systems for High Specific Impulse
10.3 Helicon Thruster Development
10.4 Magnetic Field Dependent Thrusters
10.4.1 Rotating Magnetic Field (RMF) Thrusters
10.4.2 Magnetic Induction Plasma Thrusters
10.4.3 Magnetic Reconnection Thrusters
10.5 Laser-Based Propulsion
10.6 Solar Sails
10.7 Hollow Cathode Discharge Thrusters
References
Chapter 11: Thruster Plumes and Spacecraft Interactions
1.1 Introduction
11.2 Plume Physics in Ion and Hall Thrusters
11.2.1 Plume Measurements
11.2.2 Flight Data
11.2.3 Laboratory Plume Measurements
11.3 Plume Models for Ion and Hall Thrusters
11.3.1 Primary Beam Expansion
11.3.2 Neutral Gas Plumes
11.3.3 Secondary-Ion Generation
11.3.4 Combined Models and Numerical Simulations
11.4 Spacecraft Interactions
11.4.1 Momentum of the Plume Particles
11.4.2 Sputtering and Contamination
11.4.3 Plasma Interactions with Solar Arrays
11.5 Interactions with Payloads
11.5.1 Microwave Phase Shift
11.5.2 Plume Plasma Optical Emission
Problems
References
Chapter 12: Flight Electric Thrusters
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Ion Thrusters
12.3 Hall Thrusters
12.4 Electromagnetic Thrusters
References
Appendices
A: Nomenclature
B: Gas Flow Unit Conversions and Cathode
Pressure Estimates
C: Energy Loss by Electrons
D: Ionization and Excitation Cross Sections for
Xenon and Krypton
E: Ionization and Excitation Reaction Rates in
Maxwellian Plasmas
F: Electron Relaxation and Thermalization Times
G: Clausing Factor Monte Carlo Calculation
The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.
The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.
Need Help? Copyright © 1999-2026
