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Pulsed plasma thruster contamination studiesThe exhaust plume of the one millipound pulsed plasma thruster has a measurable backflow upstream of the nozzle exit plane which may deposit on and degrade the performance of exposed spacecraft surfaces. High speed photographs and Faraday cup measurements suggest that this backflow is predominantly an electrically neutral, relatively low energy vapor. Articulated collimator quartz crystal microbalance measurements of this backflow were made for a thruster with a radically modified nozzle and a flat plate backflow shield, to determine the backflow sensitivity to nozzle design changes. The results are compared with the original nozzle backflow and show a measurable reduction in the backflow directly upstream of the shield.
Document ID
19800026234
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Rudolph, L. K.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Jones, R. M.
(California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena Calif., United States)
Date Acquired
August 10, 2013
Publication Date
October 1, 1979
Subject Category
Spacecraft Propulsion And Power
Report/Patent Number
AIAA PAPER 79-2106
Meeting Information
Meeting: International Electric Propulsion Conference
Location: Princeton, NJ
Start Date: October 30, 1979
End Date: November 1, 1979
Sponsors: Princeton University, AIAA, and DGLR,
Accession Number
80A10404
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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