Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta ASTEROID BELT. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta ASTEROID BELT. Mostrar todas las entradas

martes, 28 de mayo de 2013

ION PROPULSION ENGINE TESTED

 

FROM: NASA
The Engine Burns Blue
This image shows a cutting-edge solar-electric propulsion thruster in development at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., that uses xenon ions for propulsion. An earlier version of this solar-electric propulsion engine has been flying on NASA's Dawn mission to the asteroid belt.

This engine is being considered as part of the Asteroid Initiative, a proposal to robotically capture a small near-Earth asteroid and redirect it safely to a stable orbit in the Earth-moon system where astronauts can visit and explore it. This image was taken through a porthole in a vacuum chamber at JPL where the ion engine is being tested.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech


Buscar este blog

Translate

White House.gov Press Office Feed