This paper presents the results of functional tests carried out on the first 7 em slit FEEP emitter prototype designed and manufactured at Centrospazio. While FEEP emitters have traditionally been fed with cesium, this thruster used rubidium as a propellant. The investigations carried out include electrical parameters measurement and ion beam profile recording. The use of Rb resulted in immediate, good wetting of the emitter blades and in very good ion emission, while emitter misalignement caused a portion of the usefullenght of the thruster not to operate, showing how sensitive this thruster is to small changes in its delicate geometrical arrangement. Nevertheless, maximum estimated thrust was as high as 1.2 mN and beam divergence was within the expected values.
One Millinewton FEEP Thruster Tests
MARCUCCIO, SALVO;ANDRENUCCI, MARIANO
1999-01-01
Abstract
This paper presents the results of functional tests carried out on the first 7 em slit FEEP emitter prototype designed and manufactured at Centrospazio. While FEEP emitters have traditionally been fed with cesium, this thruster used rubidium as a propellant. The investigations carried out include electrical parameters measurement and ion beam profile recording. The use of Rb resulted in immediate, good wetting of the emitter blades and in very good ion emission, while emitter misalignement caused a portion of the usefullenght of the thruster not to operate, showing how sensitive this thruster is to small changes in its delicate geometrical arrangement. Nevertheless, maximum estimated thrust was as high as 1.2 mN and beam divergence was within the expected values.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
