Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: ion engines.
Message-ID: <1990Oct12.155034.12919@zoo.toronto.edu>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <1952.2715c044@waikato.ac.nz>
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 90 15:50:34 GMT

In article <1952.2715c044@waikato.ac.nz> hamish@waikato.ac.nz writes:
>... What ever happened to the ion rocket research programs?

The post-Apollo budget cuts essentially killed all NASA propulsion research
not directly related to the Shuttle, i.e. *all* advanced propulsion work.
Little bits of ground-based work have been done since, but that's all.

If you want a small ion thruster, e.g. for comsat station-keeping, you
can buy one commercially from Japan.
-- 
"...the i860 is a wonderful source     | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
of thesis topics."    --Preston Briggs |  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry