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Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!David.Smith@CMU-CS-IUS
From: David.Smith@CMU-CS-IUS@sri-unix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Electric rockets
Message-ID: <3870@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 5-Aug-83 10:15:57 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.3870
Posted: Fri Aug  5 10:15:57 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 7-Aug-83 13:39:03 EDT
Lines: 11

There is another type of electric rocket (besides ion) which has
been used for attitude stabilization.  It involves a block of teflon
and an electrical spark.  The spark vaporizes a bit of teflon, which
then goes flying out the nozzle.  AW&ST carried an article on it --
what, several moons ago?  In actual use on a spacecraft, the things
were fired several times a second over some years.  Very low thrust,
but not much is needed for this application.

Incidentally, the latest AW&ST (that I have seen) has a picture
of the meteroid hit on Challenger's windshield which forced the
glass to be replaced.