a speed of 55.0 km/s relative to the engine. (a) If Xe ions are ejected from the thruster at a rate of 9.05 x 10-6 kg/s, what is the magnitude of the electric current that passes through the grid, that is, ejected from the thruster? (b) What is the electrical power in watts supplied by the power

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Ion Thrusters III: Current and Power. You and
your team are designing a new propulsion engine
that ejects xenon (Xe) ions in one direction,
causing a spacecraft to accelerate in the opposite
direction, in accordance with the conservation of
linear momentum and the impulse-momentum
theorem. This is exactly what happens when a
rocket engine expels high velocity particles when
burning fuel, except that, in the case of the ion
drive, the ions are accelerated with an electric
field. In this process, Xe gas atoms are ionized so
that they each acquire a net charge of +e. They are
then subjected to an electric field, which
accelerates and ejects the ions from the engine. In
the thruster you are designing, the Xe atoms
accelerate through a potential difference of 2.06
kV between a grounded electrode and a negatively
charged grid, through which the ions are ejected at
a speed of 55.0 km/s relative to the engine. (a) If Xe
ions are ejected from the thruster at a rate of 9.05
x 10-6 kg/s, what is the magnitude of the electric
current that passes through the grid, that is,
ejected from the thruster? (b) What is the
electrical power in watts supplied by the power
source of the ion thruster? The mass of a Xe ion is
2.18 × 10-25 kg.
Transcribed Image Text:Ion Thrusters III: Current and Power. You and your team are designing a new propulsion engine that ejects xenon (Xe) ions in one direction, causing a spacecraft to accelerate in the opposite direction, in accordance with the conservation of linear momentum and the impulse-momentum theorem. This is exactly what happens when a rocket engine expels high velocity particles when burning fuel, except that, in the case of the ion drive, the ions are accelerated with an electric field. In this process, Xe gas atoms are ionized so that they each acquire a net charge of +e. They are then subjected to an electric field, which accelerates and ejects the ions from the engine. In the thruster you are designing, the Xe atoms accelerate through a potential difference of 2.06 kV between a grounded electrode and a negatively charged grid, through which the ions are ejected at a speed of 55.0 km/s relative to the engine. (a) If Xe ions are ejected from the thruster at a rate of 9.05 x 10-6 kg/s, what is the magnitude of the electric current that passes through the grid, that is, ejected from the thruster? (b) What is the electrical power in watts supplied by the power source of the ion thruster? The mass of a Xe ion is 2.18 × 10-25 kg.
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