Magnetoshell aerocapture technology CubeSat test!

[sh1pman]

Just now, KG3 said:

Ok, so where are the ions coming from?  Does the spacecraft need to bring a supply of xenon like a ion thruster?  Could some kind of permanent magnet be uses to keep this ion cloud in place?

It needs a little bit of xenon to start up, 10 grams or so. It then generates a plasma ball out of it (like ion thrusters) and holds it in place with an electromagnet. Not sure if permanent magnet can be used, perhaps on smaller probes it can be.

[Spaced Out]

Could this possibly be used on one of SpaceX's Mars capsules?

[sh1pman]

10 hours ago, Spaced Out said:

Could this possibly be used on one of SpaceX's Mars capsules?

You mean BFR? Yes, they said it can be used on it.

[DDE]

10 hours ago, sh1pman said:

It needs a little bit of xenon to start up, 10 grams or so. It then generates a plasma ball out of it (like ion thrusters) and holds it in place with an electromagnet. Not sure if permanent magnet can be used, perhaps on smaller probes it can be.

Hm. I saw a different design that relied entirely on compression heating to produce plasma, with some NaK doping, and, later into reentry, deliberate RF heating of surrounding plasma to make it more ionized.

[sh1pman]

2 hours ago, DDE said:

Hm. I saw a different design that relied entirely on compression heating to produce plasma, with some NaK doping, and, later into reentry, deliberate RF heating of surrounding plasma to make it more ionized.

Maybe there are different designs. The one I mentioned is going to be tested on CubeSat.