Jun 27 2002
From The Space Library
NASA's Office of Space Science announced that it had selected one team to lead the development of an advanced ion-propulsion system and another to develop advanced ion optics. The Office of Space Science had selected NASA's GRC to develop the NASA Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) system, which would use xenon gas and electrical power to drive spacecraft. NASA intended the NEXT system as an alternative to conventional chemical propulsion systems. Furthermore, NASA had selected Boeing Electron Dynamic Devices to lead the development, fabrication, and testing of carbon-based ion optics, important components of ion engines, which, historically, had possessed limited thruster lifetimes. (NASA, “NASA Selects Teams To Lead Development of Next-Generation Ion Engine and Advanced Technology,” news release 02-118, 27 June 2002.)
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