Physical Phenomena of Electric Thrusters in Space

日本、俄罗斯和美国之间的联合研究已经在太空中进行了一项有意义的物理现象研究。直接电流（DC）电弧喷射推力、磁等离子体模拟（MPD）推力、抽象脉冲等离子体推力、离子推力和霍尔推力被调查。物理等离子体特性，如电子温度和电子数密度，在它们的晶体中，通过静电探针方法和光谱技术的含义来测量，以及等离子体特性和加速过程被测试。在日本，空间和天文科学研究所正在推广从类固醇（MUSES-C）中进行样品和返回空间飞行，计划于2002年发射，并将于2006年从外地球物体带回一些特别项目。在MUSES-C任务中，无Cathode微波释放离子挤压系统已经准备好作为星际空间中的一个主要推进。“400瓦微波释放器正在研究提高其推力性能。”30-cm-diam。环扣，20厘米-diam。微波释放器和C-D260-D2-propellant离子刺激器、0.3- 1 kW直流电弧喷射刺激器、10- 100 kW稳定MPD刺激器、0.5- 5 kW霍尔刺激器，以及他们的等离子体颗粒-航天器相互作用在应用中对实际近地和星际任务进行了研究。非推进性应用的电气冲击剂对材料处理也是有条件的。

A joint study among Japan, Russia and USA was carried out in order to understand physical phenomena on electric thrusters in space. Direct-current (DC) arcjet thrusters, magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thrusters, ablative pulsed plasma thrusters, ion thrusters and Hall thrusters were investigated. Physical plasma properties, such as electron temperature and electron number density, in their thrusters were measured by means of electrostatic probe method and spectroscopic technique, and plasma features and acceleration processes were examined. In Japan, the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science is promoting the sample and return space mission from an asteroid, the MUSES-C, which is scheduled to be launched in 2002 and to bring back some specimens to the Earth in 2006 from an extra-terrestrial object. In the MUSES-C mission, the cathode-less microwave discharge ion thruster system is ready as a primary propulsion in the interplanetary space. The 400 W microwave discharge ion thruster was studied to improve the thrust performance. 30-cm-diam. ring-cusped, 20-cm-diam. microwave discharge and CィイD260ィエD2-propellant ion thrusters, 0.3-1kW DC arcjet thrusters, 10-100kW steady-state and 1kW quasi-steady MPD thrusters, 0.5-5kW Hall thrusters, and their plasma plumes-spacecraft interactions were investigated aiming at applications to practical near-earth and interplanetary missions. Non-propulsive applications of electric thrusters to material processing were also conducted.