molten salt tagged posts

The tree-like formations in this molten salt formed under the high-radiation of a transmission electron microscope beam; the jet of ions from the material could serve as a thruster for a nanosatellite Credit: Michigan Tech, Kurt Terhune

Researchers have operated a tiny proposed satellite ion rocket under a microscope to see how it works. The rocket, called an electrospray thruster, is a drop of molten salt. When electricity is applied, it creates a field on the tip of the droplet, until ions begin streaming off the end. The force created by the rocket is less than the weight of a human hair, but in the vacuum of space it is enough to push a small object forward with a constant acceleration...