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• n  a type of reaction-propulsion engine to propel rockets in space; a stream of positive ions is accelerated to a high velocity by an electric field

News & Articles

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• NASA Thruster Achieves World-Record 5.5 Years Of Operation
  Advanced Ion Engine Has Run Continuously for 48,000 Hours A NASA advanced ion propulsion engine has successfully operated for more than 48,000 hours, or 5 and a half years, making it the longest test duration of any type of space propulsion system demonstration project ever. The thruster was developed under NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) Project at NASA's Glenn Research Center in ...
  July 1, 2013 - The Aero-News Network
• NASA's NEXT Ion Thruster Runs Five and a Half Years Nonstop To Set New Record
  cylonlover writes "Last December, NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) passed 43,000 hours of operation. But the advanced ion propulsion engine wasn't finished. On Monday, NASA announced that it has now operated for 48,000 hours, or five and a half years, setting a record for the longest test duration of any type of space propulsion system that will be hard to beat." Read more of this story ...
  June 27, 2013 - Slashdot