R&D, Walkthroughs, Updates, and System Builds
On August 9th, 2019, I officially revealed the final design for V1 of the new AIS-gPPT3-1C Series Integrated Propulsion Module on social media. The final PCB design had been in the works several weeks prior, and the design was finally … Continued
Progress has been moving along quite rapidly with development of the AIS-gPPT3-1C series micro pulsed plasma thrusters. Having talked with numerous PocketQube developers in the PocketQube community, I have been narrowing down the final specs for the electronics module for … Continued
If you have been following my work and progress on social media, this website, and other project sharing forums and groups, you are already aware that I am undertaking an immense particle accelerator build. It is no secret that I … Continued
Work is now underway for the manufacturing of next generation of the gPPT series thrusters: the AIS-gPPt3-1C series! This group of thrusters boasts several unique features and changes over its predecessor. technical details of the thruster can be found in … Continued
In my previous post, I summarized a major test success and milestone at Applied Ion Systems with the successful use of the micro pendulum test stand to gather impulse bit data from the pulsed plasma thrusters being researched and developed … Continued
With the resounding success of the first successful ignition testing of the AIS-gPPT2-1C Single-Channel Gridded Pulsed Plasma Thruster, additional qualifications could be explored to start better gauging thruster performance. The two major tests at this stage include lifetime testing, and … Continued
After the first two failed ignition attempts of the AIS-uPPT1 and the AIS-gPPT1 thrusters, I began work immediately on the next generation thruster, focusing on continuing my efforts with the gPPT Gridded Pulsed Plasma Thruster line. From the prior testing … Continued
In my previous blog post, I discussed the first ignition test of the AIS-gPPT1 Gridded Pulsed Plasma Thruster. Unfortunately, the test was unsuccessful. The thruster design did not allow for consistent and reliable ignition, and during the course of the … Continued
I. TESTING SUMMARY Immediately after the prior day’s unsuccessful ignition attempt of the AIS-uPPT1 Micro Pulsed Plasma Thruster, preparations were made to mount the second thruster in the chamber and begin ignition testing of the AIS-gPPT1 Gridded Pulsed Plasma Thruster. … Continued
I. TESTING OVERVIEW On May 5th, 2019, I attempted the first ignition test of the AIS-uPPT1 Micro Pulsed Plasma Thruster, after the prior day’s successful pumpdown and confirmation of the system at high vacuum. This was a big step forward … Continued