In practice, the uniform grid design was especially effective at measuring a wide range of plasmas, similar to those that a satellite would ordinarily encounter in orbit. In the former, both designs proved able to accurately estimate the average energy of ions, but in practical evaluations the devices showed potential in different application areas. Once ready, the team subjected their prototypes to ion energy distribution simulations and practical testing via electron impact ionizer and helicon plasma testing. For each RPA design, the aperture size was also optimized via finite element analyses, in an attempt to achieve optimal ion transmission across the device’s grid. That said, the researchers actually explored two different stack designs, one in which all apertures were the same size, and another, where clusters were matched to a single aperture in a ‘floating grid’ formation.īoth were made using a Tethon 3D Bison 1000 system and Vitrolite, a durable pigmented glass capable of withstanding temperatures of up to 800☌, and designed with hexagonally-packed apertures, to maximize the number that could be fitted in. In practice, the housing is designed to spatially distribute electrodes using a set of grooves that interact with a set of deflection springs. Photo via MIT.Īt the core of the team’s redesigned sensor is a laser-cut, five-electrode stack, inside a 3D printed glass-ceramic electrode housing and CNC-machined shroud. What made this possible is the latest developments in additive manufacturing.” The team’s experimental RPA setup. “When you make this sensor in the cleanroom, you don’t have the same degree of freedom to define materials and structures and how they interact together. “I can make space hardware and if it fails, it doesn’t matter because I can make a new version very quickly and inexpensively, and really iterate on the design. Additive manufacturing is a very different way to make space hardware,” explains Velásquez-García. “If you want to innovate, you need to be able to fail and afford the risk. With this in mind, the MIT team have developed a means of 3D printing them from glass-ceramic instead, that could help advance in-situ ionospheric studies. As such, RPAs can be very expensive, limiting their potential to be fitted to the CubeSats that are increasingly making LEO-based R&D more accessible. However, the scientists also point out that current plasma sensors tend to be made from silicon in cleanroom conditions, via a process that requires weeks of intricate fabrication. According to the MIT team, making such devices effective depends on ensuring their housing structure and meshes align, as well as their insularity and ability to withstand drastic temperature swings.
#Mit mini helicon plasma thruster series#
RPAs themselves work by using a series of electrically-charged meshes with tiny holes to strip electrons and other particles away from ions, which in turn, create a current that can be measured and analyzed. Also applied as in-orbit mass spectrometers, the versatile sensors are capable of measuring energy and analyzing chemicals to inform weather predictions. First deployed in a space mission in 1959, these multi-electrode instruments essentially detect the energy in the ions that float in the plasma molecules present in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. When it comes to monitoring changing weather patterns in LEO, retarding potential analyzers (RPAs) are a vital piece of equipment. Sometimes there is nothing to trade off.” The researchers’ 3D printed plasma sensor. “But we’ve shown that is not always the case. “Some people think that when you 3D print something, you have to concede less performance. “Additive manufacturing can make a big difference in the future of space hardware,” says MIT Principal Scientist, Luis Fernando Velásquez-García. This, alongside their relatively low manufacturing cost, could make the devices ideal for fitting to CubeSats, where they can monitor temperature fluctuations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have used 3D printing to create unique plasma sensors with the potential to help scientists better understand the impact of climate change.Ĭompared to traditional weather-monitoring sensors, the team’s laser cut and 3D printed alternative can be produced outside of cleanroom conditions, reducing its lead time from weeks down to just a few days.
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