NASA's X3 Ion Thruster: WIll Ion Propulsion get us to Mars faster?

Описание: I’m going to briefly explain what Ion Propulsion is, talk about NASA’s record-breaking x3 ion thruster, and talk about how soon we might see Ion Propulsion on manned spacecraft.
Ion Propulsion, sounds like something from Star Trek, right?
Ion propulsion will allow spacecraft to travel farther, faster and cheaper than any other propulsion technology currently available.
Ion thrusters have fuel efficiencies over 90% compared to chemical rockets which as fuel efficiencies up to 35 percent.
Ion propulsion isn’t science fiction, it is proven technology that exists today.
So, will we see Ion Thrusters on manned spacecraft in the near future?
Let’s find out!
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So earlier this month, NASA announced the test results from their X3 Ion thruster which broke Ion Propulsion records for maximum power output, thrust and operating current.
But before we talk further about the X3, lets briefly go over what Ion Propulsion is.
Ion propulsion technology goes back a long time.
Matter of fact, the first working ion thruster was built by Harold R. Kaufman in 1959 at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio.
The common propellent for Ion Propulsion is the gas, Xenon, because it is easily ionized.
Ionized means that an atom or molecule acquires a negative or positive charge by gaining or losing electrons to form ions.
So, the Ion Thruster shoots electrons into the Xenon gas creating ions. These positive charge ions are then accelerated through grids that have thousands of precisely aligned holes at speeds up to 90,000 miles per hour.

Sources:
https://www.space.com/38444-mars-thru...
http://www.popularmechanics.com/space...
   • Crazy Engineering: Ion Propulsion and the ...  
https://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/te...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionization
https://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/ab...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_thr...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_(s...)
https://images-assets.nasa.gov/video/...