Question: I really love space. How does one develop a rocket thruster? is it part of your job, and what is it for?

Charlie Ryan answered on 20 Mar 2011:

hi frogdwarf i kind of guessed you might have an interest in space – you seemed to of asked a lot of questions about it!
Well firstly it is not just me who is developing this rocket – i am part of a large group of universities and companies across Europe who a redeveloping different parts of it. The project we are working on is called microthrust.
The aim of the project is to develop the thruster to the point where it is almost ready to be put onto a spacecraft. The thruster is a type of ion thruster called a colloid electrospray ion thruster – catchy name?! IT works by creating ions directly from a liquid being injected out of a very small needle, and these ions are accelerated and thrown out of the thruster to produce the thrust though. The thrust though is tiny – about one milion millionth of the space shuttle main engine! But the speeds of the ions can be very high and this makes the thruster very efficient. This means it doesnt have to carry much fuel, and can fit onto tiny spacecraft.
These spacecraft are called cubsats, and about the size of a shoebox or a nintendo game cube! They only have limited uses at the mooment, but with our thrusters they should be able to do much more wide ranging roles, and maybe even go to the moon!
My job within the project is to test the thrusters. I receive the manufactured thrusters from switzerland, and assemble them. I put them into a vacuum chamber that simulates space. And i try to get them to work!

I saw on your profile that you aren’t considering a career in space related science?? Why on earth not??!