Say this quickly three times - magnetoplasmadynamic thruster!
NASA/JPL successfully tested a new magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) ion thruster spacecraft engine that runs on lithium metal vapor.
Ion engines accelerate ions — charged atoms — out through a nozzle to provide thrust, hence they are often described as using "electric propulsion" and are 25 times more powerful that current engines that burn chemical propellant.
The test showed the electric propulsion system capable of operating at power levels up to 120 kilowatts. https://www.space.com/astronomy/mars/nasa-is-making-a-powerful-new-ion-engine-to-send-astronauts-to-mars-and-it-just-passed-its-1st-test #NASA #Space #SpaceCraft #MPDEngines #magnetoplasmadynamic #Ions #IonThruster #Lithium




