NASA's NEXT ion thruster clocks up continuous operation world record

Photo credit: NASA/ Gizmag

We've all seen photographs & video of the rocket engine belching flames with a thunderous roar. That's what is required to get into Earth orbit. Once out of the gravity well of Earth, a small thrust, available for a thousands of hours will suffice. Such a specification fits the ion engine & its efficiency is 10 to 12 times that of chemical rockets.

http://www.gizmag.com/next-ion-record/25570/ / Evolutionary Xenon Thruster NEXT ion engine world record 43,000 hours continuous operation Glenn Research Center Electric Propulsion Laboratory seven-kiloWatt thruster propel future NASA deep space probes missions chemical rockets practical option efficient solar panels nuclear power source electricity ionize molecules xenon /