Deep Space 1 Flight Spare Ion Thruster 30,000-Hour Life Test
2008; American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; Volume: 25; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2514/1.36549
ISSN1533-3876
AutoresAnita Sengupta, John A. Anderson, Charles Garner, John Brophy, Kim K. de Groh, Bruce A. Banks, Tina A. Karniotis Thomas,
Tópico(s)Advanced Battery Technologies Research
ResumoThe extended-life test of the Deep Space 1 flight spare ion thruster was voluntarily terminated on 26 June 2003. During its five-year run, the thruster operated for a total of 30,352 h, processed 235.1 kg of xenon propellant, and demonstrated extended operation at multiple throttled conditions. The objectives of the test were to characterize failure modes and quantify thruster performance as a function of engine wear and throttle level. Degradation processes included erosion of the discharge cathode keeper, accelerator-grid sputter erosion, and deposition of material in the neutralizer cathode at low power. Performance degradation was limited to a reduction in measured thrust at the full-power point for the final 1000 h of operation. Posttest inspection of the enginewas initiated following the test termination to ascertain causes of the wear and to look for any previously unknown wear processes. Significant findings included facility-induced flakes in the discharge chamber, the presence of through-pits in the accelerator-grid webbing, significant erosion of the discharge cathode orifice plate, and healthy cathode inserts. A summary of the beginning-of-test and end-of-test performances and results of the posttest destructive evaluation are presented.
Referência(s)