I am still up.........

OldPhysics said:
Yep. It is. You must be VERY careful.

In old chemistry terms, Cesium has a high electronegativity. It's very easy to ionize a Cesium atom.

The easier your base material (fuel) is to ionize, the more specific impulse you can create with most forms of electric thrusters. The downside -- all that nasty radioactive and chemically vicious Cesium wandering around. Fortunately, there's a lot of available, unused room out beyond our atmosphere.

Of course, you don't use just Cesium. There are several tricks to this ... but we won't talk about that here.

And then there is the cathode region... Whew, starting to get a tech-headache.

But thanks for the question!! :D I think there are a number of articles in the 70s and 80s put out by Russian researchers -- don't have the citations laying around. If you do seek them out, be careful! Those Russkies do NOT tell you everything... ;)
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Ah....Yes....That was what I was thinking.....NOT...LOL You are way too wise for me....but Can you tell me this...When is the next offering at Busse Combat going up???? I Know I know......I ASH you this:p:p.....SOON
 
Amy-0 said:
Ah....Yes....That was what I was thinking.....NOT...LOL You are way too wise for me....but Can you tell me this...When is the next offering at Busse Combat going up???? I Know I know......I ASH you this:p:p.....SOON
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AHA!!!! :eek::eek:

Verbal confuscation elicits ... valuable information!!!! :eek::eek::eek:

The answer is simple: "Two weeks." ;)
 
Dunno when my "ash" will be able to get the new offering in blk/blk not blk, ask thatmguy, but I'll have my proxy ready to jump on it:)

Hi Amy:thumbup: How's your boo-boo?

Bob Mills
 
flatlander said:
Dunno when my "ash" will be able to get the new offering in blk/blk not blk, ask thatmguy, but I'll have my proxy ready to jump on it:)

Hi Amy:thumbup: How's your boo-boo?

Bob Mills
Click to expand...

Boo Boo Good:thumbup::thumbup:
 
OldPhysics said:
Oh no it's not!! Unfamiliar terminology implies neither depth nor breadth of intellect ... and can be combined with mendacity to create ... cognitive dissonance!!! :eek::eek:

[I'm just full of it tonight.]

Did you know that, in Brazil, they actually bake before they shake?

It's a funny old world we live in. :)
Click to expand...

Last I checked... Same goes for those in Jamaica too! :eek: :D:D
 
OldPhysics said:
Yep. It is. You must be VERY careful.

In old chemistry terms, Cesium has a high electronegativity. It's very easy to ionize a Cesium atom.

The easier your base material (fuel) is to ionize, the more specific impulse you can create with most forms of electric thrusters. The downside -- all that nasty radioactive and chemically vicious Cesium wandering around. Fortunately, there's a lot of available, unused room out beyond our atmosphere.

Of course, you don't use just Cesium. There are several tricks to this ... but we won't talk about that here.

And then there is the cathode region... Whew, starting to get a tech-headache.

But thanks for the question!! :D I think there are a number of articles in the 70s and 80s put out by Russian researchers -- don't have the citations laying around. If you do seek them out, be careful! Those Russkies do NOT tell you everything... ;)
Click to expand...

I actually understood most of this. I'm still unclear what exactly a electric thruster is but I'm getting the idea it is used for non-atmospheric flight control.

Not sure I want to be talking to Russkies. In a previous career/life that good be either very good or very bad depending on the circumstances. Not sure it would be a good idea even in civilian life. There is a stack of papers with my signature that will be around long after I depart this world.

Well for the those who are not into tech speak or it is to late for tech speak I'll leave this conversation to another time.
 
Ion thrusters have very high efficiency but low thrust. What they lack in oomph is made up for with stamina. Here are a couple of recent articles:

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/deepspace_propulsion_000816.html

http://www.physorg.com/news9786.html

My company had (emphasis on the past tense) a contract with NASA to develop a fission reactor plant to serve as the onboard power supply for the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO), which was to use ion propulsion. Project Prometheus was killed in the development stages by the Columbia disaster. Funding for the reactor concepts was redirected elsewhere. I had hoped to sneak in the back door when we built a land-based prototype, but alas, that dream died with the overall project.

Rick
 
Soooo-lemme see. If I have this right its the ion thrusters that use the dilithium crystals?? :D WHere's Scotty when I need him???

A girl needs a knife...and maybe a phaser, too!
 
Trivia...

TIE Fighters from Star Wars. Any know what the TIE stands for? ;)
 
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