Electric Propulsion
Robert G. Jahn
Edgar Y. Choueiri
Princeton University
I. Conceptual Organization and History of the Field
II. Electrothermal Propulsion
III. Electrostatic Propulsion
IV. Electromagnetic Propulsion
V. Systems Considerations
VI. Applications
GLOSSARY
Arcjet Device that heats a propellant stream by passing
a high-current electrical arc through it, before the pro-
pellant is expanded through a downstream nozzle.
Hall effect Conduction of electric current perpendicular
to an applied electric field in a superimposed magnetic
field.
Inductive thruster Device that heats a propellant stream
by means of an inductive discharge before the propel-
lant is expanded through a downstream nozzle.
Ion thruster Device that accelerates propellant ions by
an electrostatic field.
Magnetoplasmadynamic thruster Device that acceler-
ates a propellant plasma by an internal or external mag-
netic field acting on an internal arc current.
Plasma Heavily ionized state of matter, usually gaseous,
composed of ions, electrons, and neutral atoms or
molecules, that has sufficient electrical conductivity to
carry substantial current and to react to electric and
magnetic body forces.
Resistojet Device that heats a propellant stream by pass-
ing it through a resistively heated chamber before
the propellant is expanded through a downstream
nozzle.
Thrust Unbalanced internal force exerted on a rocket
during expulsion of its propellant mass.
THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY of electric
propulsion (EP) encompass a broad variety of strate-
gies for achieving very high exhaust velocities in order
to reduce the total propellant burden and corresponding
launch mass of present and future space transportation
systems. These techniques group broadly into three cat-
egories: electrothermal propulsion, wherein the propel-
lant is electrically heated, then expanded thermodynami-
cally through a nozzle; electrostatic propulsion, wherein
ionized propellant particles are accelerated through
an electric field; and electromagnetic propulsion, wherein
curr