NASA funds micro propulsion
Five Boise State University engineering professors have been awarded a NASA grant to develop a micro-propulsion system that could enable satellites to maintain position while in orbit.
Five Boise State University engineering professors have been awarded a $630,479 (£396,044) NASA grant to develop a micro-propulsion system that could strategically point small satellites and enable them to maintain position while in orbit.
The professors - Don Plumlee, Jim Browning, Amy Moll, Sin Ming Loo and Inanc Senocak - will build on existing research in plasma generation by Plumlee and Browning and on chemical micro-propulsion by Plumlee and Moll, who founded Boise State’s C-MEMS (ceramic micro-electro-mechanical systems) research group to develop the system.
The researchers' micro-propulsion concept is based on the miniaturisation of an electric thruster, using ceramic materials to integrate fluidics and electronics.The proposed propulsion system would reduce the volume of propellant required, increasing a satellite’s lifespan.
'The beauty of it is that the power to produce thrust comes from an electrical system charged by a solar array. You still have propellant, but it is an inert gas that gets ionised,' Plumlee said. 'The efficiency of these devices is 10 times better than a common chemical thruster, bringing the cost and mission complexity way down.'
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Comment: Engineers must adapt to AI or fall behind
A fascinating piece and nice to see a broad discussion beyond GenAI and the hype bandwagon. AI (all flavours) like many things invented or used by...