Development of a time-of-flight spectrometer to measure micronewton thruster performance

Abstract

Colloid thrusters provide micro-newtons of thrust, allowing for precision spacecraft control. In a vacuum, colloid thrusters will emit a cone shaped plume consisting of charged droplets. Previous works have characterized an overall charge-to-mass distribution in this plume, however different regions within the plume have not been studied. This project involved designing and building an instrument that can move a small target in cylindrical coordinates, and can record the information gathered by the target and associated electronics using LabVIEW software