NASA’s X3 ion thruster smashes records in test firings
A human settlement on Mars is rapidly moving from science fiction to fact, with Elon Musk envisioning Battlestar Galactica-style fleets blasting off to the Red Planet in coming decades.
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>>with Elon Musk envisioning Battlestar Galactica-style fleets
stops reading
“In the recent tests, the X3 broke three different records previously set by other Hall thrusters, a very promising step towards manned Mars missions. Most importantly of course is thrust: the X3 blasted off with 5.4 newtons of force, smashing the previous record of 3.3 newtons. On top of that, the engine also managed an operating current of 250 amperes, which is more than double that of the previous record, and ran at 102 kilowatts of power, just edging out the previous record of 98 kW.”
I don’t understand this.
How can generating a force of 5.4 Newtons (which is about half a kg in Earth money) when consuming a power of 102 kW be efficient?
Peak Warming Man said:
>>with Elon Musk envisioning Battlestar Galactica-style fleetsstops reading
A wise move I suspect.
I can’t believe there are ghost ‘experts’
“…According to experts, ghosts feed on energy …”
Arts said:
I can’t believe there are ghost ‘experts’“…According to experts, ghosts feed on energy …”
clearly I am not a thread expert .. sorry
New BG or old BG?
Peak Warming Man said:
>>with Elon Musk envisioning Battlestar Galactica-style fleetsstops reading
Starts reading.
mollwollfumble said:
Peak Warming Man said:
>>with Elon Musk envisioning Battlestar Galactica-style fleetsstops reading
Starts reading.
Are you an Elon fan then?
Can you explain how the tiny force for pretty big energy input is efficient?
The Rev Dodgson said:
mollwollfumble said:
Peak Warming Man said:
>>with Elon Musk envisioning Battlestar Galactica-style fleetsstops reading
Starts reading.
Are you an Elon fan then?
Can you explain how the tiny force for pretty big energy input is efficient?
Could you power it by nuclear decay which itself can’t be used as thrust but as the power source for the thrust and it can run for years which is useful but not energy efficient
The Rev Dodgson said:
mollwollfumble said:
Peak Warming Man said:
>>with Elon Musk envisioning Battlestar Galactica-style fleetsstops reading
Starts reading.
Are you an Elon fan then?
Can you explain how the tiny force for pretty big energy input is efficient?
Yes. I’m an Elon fan. I’d put him up there with Vivaldi, Newton, Einstein, Tesla, Feynman, Edison, Ford and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The Isp is what matters. The Isp is the specific impulse (not the internet service provider). Ion thrusters have huge specific impulse, which gives big advantages to using a tiny force over a very long period of time. 5 seconds is typical for a solid fuel thruster. 72 seconds is typical for a liquid fuel thruster. 2 years is a typical time for an ion thruster.
mollwollfumble said:
The Rev Dodgson said:
mollwollfumble said:Starts reading.
Are you an Elon fan then?
Can you explain how the tiny force for pretty big energy input is efficient?
Yes. I’m an Elon fan. I’d put him up there with Vivaldi, Newton, Einstein, Tesla, Feynman, Edison, Ford and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
LOL, just no.
ChrispenEvan said:
mollwollfumble said:
The Rev Dodgson said:Are you an Elon fan then?
Can you explain how the tiny force for pretty big energy input is efficient?
Yes. I’m an Elon fan. I’d put him up there with Vivaldi, Newton, Einstein, Tesla, Feynman, Edison, Ford and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
LOL, just no.
Falls off chair
I’m wondering why Vivaldi is up there with Newton and Einstein.
sibeen said:
ChrispenEvan said:
mollwollfumble said:Yes. I’m an Elon fan. I’d put him up there with Vivaldi, Newton, Einstein, Tesla, Feynman, Edison, Ford and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
LOL, just no.
Falls off chair
you need a seatbelt.
ChrispenEvan said:
mollwollfumble said:
The Rev Dodgson said:Are you an Elon fan then?
Can you explain how the tiny force for pretty big energy input is efficient?
Yes. I’m an Elon fan. I’d put him up there with Andre Rieu, Vivaldi, Newton, Einstein, Tesla, Feynman, Edison, Ford and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
LOL, just no.
mollwollfumble said:
The Rev Dodgson said:
mollwollfumble said:Starts reading.
Are you an Elon fan then?
Can you explain how the tiny force for pretty big energy input is efficient?
Yes. I’m an Elon fan. I’d put him up there with Vivaldi, Newton, Einstein, Tesla, Feynman, Edison, Ford and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The Isp is what matters. The Isp is the specific impulse (not the internet service provider). Ion thrusters have huge specific impulse, which gives big advantages to using a tiny force over a very long period of time. 5 seconds is typical for a solid fuel thruster. 72 seconds is typical for a liquid fuel thruster. 2 years is a typical time for an ion thruster.
Thanks for that. I’ll look up Isp.
As it’s an even numbered day, I’ll accept the list of heroes as perfectly valid, if possibly a little eccentric.
The Rev Dodgson said:
As it’s an even numbered day, I’ll accept the list of heroes as perfectly valid, if possibly a little eccentric.
Eccentricity? On the forum? Well I never…
Bubblecar said:
I’m wondering why Vivaldi is up there with Newton and Einstein.
Only because I prefer Vivaldi to Bach-Gödel-Escher-Hofstadter. Also because Vivaldi had a huge sense of self-importance, to the intense annoyance of his contemporaries.
mollwollfumble said:
The Isp is what matters. The Isp is the specific impulse (not the internet service provider). Ion thrusters have huge specific impulse, which gives big advantages to using a tiny force over a very long period of time. 5 seconds is typical for a solid fuel thruster. 72 seconds is typical for a liquid fuel thruster. 2 years is a typical time for an ion thruster.
TATE shows around 400 s for a “rocket”:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_impulse
mollwollfumble said:
Bubblecar said:
I’m wondering why Vivaldi is up there with Newton and Einstein.
Only because I prefer Vivaldi to Bach-Gödel-Escher-Hofstadter. Also because Vivaldi had a huge sense of self-importance, to the intense annoyance of his contemporaries.
Oh well, disputandum non est de gustibus.
As Achilles said to the Tortoise (and vice versa).