Electric Propulsion Development

Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics, Volume 9: Electric Propulsion Development covers the proceedings of the Second Electric Propulsion Conference of the American Rocker Society, held in Berkeley, California on March 14-16, 1962. The conference focuses on the existing problems in electric propulsion and their possible solutions. This book is organized into four sections encompassing 35 chapters. The first section deals with the thermodynamics of arcs; the problems of heat and momentum transfer; the chemical processes within arcs; the arc system materials; and the arc jet design problems. The second section considers the problems of ion systems, the various ion sources, and the neutralization of ion beams. This section also looks into the basic ionization processes, the production and charging of heavy particles, the corrosive properties of cesium, and the ion-optical designs. The third section describes various plasma systems, including helical transmission lines, pulsed pinch accelerators, coaxial systems, and j x B accelerators. The theoretical analyses of these systems are briefly examined. The fourth section includes papers on flight testing of electric propulsion models, on vertical rocket probes, and on satellites, This section also discusses some advanced concepts in electric propulsion, such as air scooping during ascent through the atmosphere, systems design and optimization, and planetary and interplanetary missions. This book is of great value to physicists, space engineers and designers, as well as researchers in the fields of astronautics and aeronautics.