Ion engines are the best for long missions. They aren't suitable for launching against powerful gravity, but they require minimal propellant compared to rockets, and they drive the spaceship to higher speeds over time. Some scientists are wondering if they could use ion thrusters in applications where noise is not desirable.
The flight is loud. Helicopters and jet engines can make life near an airport unbearable. Small propeller-driven aircraft are noisy. Is it possible that ion engines could be used in some applications where noise is an issue?
The idea has merit according to Steven Barrett from MIT. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The aim of Steven's research is to help aviation achieve zero environmental impacts, according to the MIT website.
For a long time,Barrett has been interested in an ion propulsion system. Solid-state propulsion systems have no moving parts, so they are very quiet. The power for flight is provided by the ion movement of electricity. They have used the ion flow to propel a small test aircraft.
This is the first-ever sustained flight of a plane with no moving parts.
The video explains how to work up to that point.
The concept has been demonstrated with a glider with a 5-meter wingspan. The wire strung wing is similar to horizontal fencing. The wires have batteries in them. The batteries give a positive charge to the wires along the front and bottom of the wing, while the wires along the trailing edge of the wing are negative.
The battery system gives 40,000 volts of electricity to the positive wires. The positive charges strip electrons from the air. The new ionized molecule is attracted to the negative electrodes at the wing's trailing edges. Lift and thrust can be created by the ionic wind that creates around the wings. As the ionized molecule travel to the negative electrodes, they collide with millions of other air molecule, propelling the aircraft forward.
The idea for a solid-state electroaerodynamic aircraft has been further developed since the paper was published. He is working with the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program. The current state of the idea was explained in an article.
He wrote that advanced air mobility envisions small, electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft operations in urban areas. The problem with that scenario is noise. The problem could be alleviated by ion eroaerodynamics.
The systems are nearly silent because they have no moving parts. The silence benefits several potential missions, such as near noise sensitive urban communities or time critical delivery missions at night.
Ion propulsion benefits from being silent, but it also has drawbacks. A low initial thrust is generated. This isn't a problem in space travel. NASA used a powerful conventional rocket to launch their DART mission from Earth because they developed enough thrust to reach escape velocity. DART used an ion drive after leaving Earth.
The team demonstrated that the aircraft could fly. Can one do a VTOL flight?
A novel multi-stage ducted (MSD) EAD thrusters will be used to increase thrust enough to enable VTOL operations.
It won't be flying passengers any time soon if they can bring their idea to fruition. Other niches might be filled by VTOLEAD aircraft.
The aircraft would enable package delivery missions in noise-sensitive areas or at night, where operations would otherwise not be allowed due to community opposition. They would be quieter.
Barrett is thinking big. This effort would be in support of the long-term goals to build and fly an aircraft powered by an MSD.
The technology could be used in passenger transport. There is an enormous amount of air travel in the world. Air travel emitted 1.04 billion tons of CO2 in the year. About 2.5% of global CO2 emissions was accounted for by that. New technologies could help.
It's not surprising that he was a Star Trek fan. He was interested in the shuttles and how they traveled silently.
There is still a long way to go before we see a reality beyond drones. It was a long road to get from concept to a limited flying prototype.
It took a long time to get to this point. The possibilities for this kind of system are now viable.
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