Prototype high-voltage Hall accelerator developed by Glenn and Aerojet.
During 2005, researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center successfully developed a new Hall thruster that could make it easier and more cost effective to explore our solar system. The test involved a Hall thruster built under the High Voltage Hall Accelerator (HIVHAC) project. The HIVHAC thruster was designed and fabricated over the last year by a team from Glenn and the Aerojet Corporation (Redmond, WA) to operate efficiently over a wide range of input power levels.
The HIVHAC thruster was demonstrated in a vacuum chamber at Glenn that simulates the environment of space. The thruster operated successfully with input powers between 200 and 2900 W at specific impulses (a measure of propellant fuel economy) between 1000 and 2800 sec. Operation over this wide range of input powers will allow spacecraft to continue thrusting in space far from the Sun, where there is little solar power available to be absorbed by a spacecraft’s solar arrays. Operation over this range of specific impulse will allow spacecraft to reach distant destinations utilizing much less propellant than required by chemical propulsion alternatives.
The advantage of Hall thruster propulsion for future solar system exploration over other types of advanced electric propulsion is the potential for much lower cost. Reducing the cost of using electric propulsion improves its applicability to cost-capped solar system exploration missions such as those conducted through the Discovery, New Frontiers, and Mars Scout programs. Successful development of the Hall thruster required for these missions through the HIVHAC project will lead to the development of a full-scale propulsion system based on this technology.
Glenn contacts: Dr. David H. Manzella, 216-977-7432, David.H.Manzella@nasa.gov; and David T. Jacobson, 216-433-3691, David.T.Jacobson@nasa.govLast updated: October 7, 2006
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