| 摘要 |
A thruster includes a body having a cavity with a discharge end, an apparatus for generating an electric arc having a current path through the cavity between first and second locations, and a non-gaseous, non-liquid propellant material (26) that forms an ionized gas as an incident of being heated. The propellant material (26) is heated by the electric arc to produce an ionized gas in the cavity. The cavity is configured to cause the ionized gas to be expelled from the cavity through the discharge end of the cavity in a flow path that is substantially parallel to the electric arc and current path within the cavity. A thruster includes a body having a cavity with a discharge end, a substantially non-ablating, electrically insulating nozzle (30) having an inlet disposed adjacent to the discharge end and an outlet, a first electrode (32) disposed within the cavity, a second electrode (34) disposed adjacent to the outlet of the nozzle, an electric power supply connected to the first and second electrodes to generate an electric arc having a current path therebetween, and a non-gaseous, non-liquid propellant material that forms an ionized gas as an incident of being heated. The propellant material is heated by the electric arc to produce an ionized gas in the cavity. A method of producing plasma to be used to propel a mass includes the steps of providing a cavity with a discharge end, providing a non-gaseous, non-liquid propellant material that forms an ionized gas as an incident of being heated, generating an electric arc having a current path through the cavity between first and second locations, heating the propellant material to produce an ionized gas in the cavity; and expelling the ionized gas from the cavity through the discharge end of the cavity in a flow path that is substantially parallel to the electric arc and current path within the cavity.
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