ion engine

n. A rocket engine that develops thrust by expelling ions rather than gaseous combustion products. Also called ion rocket.

ion engine

n (Astronautics) a type of rocket engine in which thrust is obtained by the electrostatic acceleration of charged positive ions. Compare plasma engine

Thesaurus

Noun

ion engine - a type of reaction-propulsion engine to propel rockets in space; a stream of positive ions is accelerated to a high velocity by an electric fieldreaction engine, reaction-propulsion engine - a jet or rocket engine based on a form of aerodynamic propulsion in which the vehicle emits a high-speed stream

ion engine

A device consisting of a source for producing ions and an electromagnetic field for accelerating the ions in a particular direction. In practice, an ion engine can be used in a low-pressure environment to produce propulsion by reaction forces associated with the rapidly moving ions. It is also necessary to expel oppositely charged particles to the ions from the engine to ensure charge neutrality. Ion engines have been investigated as possible power sources for spacecraft.

ion engine

[′ī‚än ‚en·jən] (aerospace engineering) An engine which provides thrust by expelling accelerated or high-velocity ions; ion engines using energy provided by nuclear reactors are proposed for space vehicles.

ion engine

Related to ion engine: plasma engine

noun

Words related to ion engine

noun a type of reaction-propulsion engine to propel rockets in space

Related Words

reaction engine
reaction-propulsion engine

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