Investigation of Pulsed Performance of an Electrothermal Hydrazine Thruster, Using a Special See-Through Thruster.

摘要

A special see-through thruster was developed to investigate the pulse performance of a prototype 0.2N electrothermal hydrazine thruster (EHT), designed for spacecraft attitude control applications. Results from tests were recorded by high-speed cine photography, synchronized with analogue data records. These showed that the poor response of a prototype EHT was related mainly to the injection and vaporization characteristics of the propellant in the thrust chamber. Various phenomena are described and an indication is given to the interaction between these events during repeated pulsed operation. Conclusions are reached regarding design changes necessary to improve performance. (Author)