NASA’s Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) gave off an eerie blue hue during its latest test inside a vacuum chamber at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. This 12-kilowatt Hall thruster is currently the most powerful electric propulsion thruster in production, and will eventually be used by NASA for missions to the Moon and beyond.
Photo credit: NASA/Jef Janis
What is causing the blue plume? Scientifically speaking, the blue plume is actually a steady stream of ionized xenon gas ejected to produce a low, yet highly efficient, thrust. If a spacecraft were to be equipped with AEPS, it theoretically could accelerate spacecraft to extremely high speeds over time using only a fraction of the fuel chemical propulsion systems require, making it perfect for deep space exploration.
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Three AEPS thrusters will be mounted on the Power and Propulsion Element, a foundational component of Gateway. The small lunar space station is critical to the agency’s Artemis missions that will help prepare for human missions to Mars,” said Glenn Communications.
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