Vacuum chamber in Centrospazio facilities at Pisa.
(Centrospazio and Alta courtesy)
MPD Thuster. Here are visible the eight anodic straps, the central cathode, the peripheral cathode and part of the ballistic balance used for thrust measurements.
(Centrospazio courtesy)
MPD thruster during a shot. This picture was recorded by means of a fast shutter CCD camera, capable of an exposure time of 100 ns. It was used a filter that cut the ions emission, in order to record only the neutrals.
MPD thruster during a shot. This picture was recorded by means of a fast shutter CCD camera, capable of an exposure time of 100 ns.
Emission spectra of the plume, recorded by means of a special fiber optic probe that collected light inside the plasma.