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We only had one topic that included "ion" and "engine" in the title.
In early 2025, Void has introduced information about new kinds of ion engines.
I was concerned that advanced ion engines might accelerate iron atoms to velocities that could penetrate ordinary matter the way cosmic ray iron atoms are able to do, but Google's Gemini reported that the fastest velocity on record in the literature is about 1000 km/s.
Discussion on the Penetrating Power of Iron Atoms from Ion Engines
The user expressed concern about the use of iron atoms as throw mass in a new ion engine, citing potential damage from high-speed impacts.
A forum member suggested that iron atoms from such a drive wouldn't penetrate far into ordinary metal.
The user noted NASA's observation of high-energy iron atoms in cosmic rays with significant penetrating power.
It was established that the penetrating power of iron atoms depends heavily on their kinetic energy (and thus speed) and the material they impact.
Low to Moderate Energies (like potential ion engine exhaust): Penetration into metal would likely be shallow, affecting primarily surface layers through atomic collisions and heat dissipation.
High Energies (like cosmic rays): Iron nuclei can have extremely high energies, leading to much deeper penetration, ionization, and molecular damage.
The discussion then shifted to the acceleration capabilities of different types of ion engines:
Electrostatic Ion Engines: Achieve high exhaust velocities (e.g., NASA's NEXT up to ~40 km/s for Xenon) but typically lower thrust.
Electromagnetic Ion Engines (Hall Effect, MPD): Use magnetic fields in addition to electric fields for acceleration. Hall effect thrusters can reach ~29 km/s with Xenon. MPD thrusters have potential for high thrust and velocity in research settings.
Advanced and experimental thrusters with lighter propellants (like Lithium or Helium) have shown potential for much higher exhaust velocities (hundreds of km/s).
The user asked for confirmation that no ion engine propelled ions faster than 30 km/s. It was clarified that while many operational engines are in this range, NASA's NEXT reaches ~40 km/s with Xenon, and some advanced concepts have demonstrated or theorize much higher speeds.
Finally, it was noted that even at velocities of 1000 km/s, relativistic effects would be negligible compared to the speed of light (~300,000 km/s).
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All kinds of ion engines are of interest in this topic.
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