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Imagine a solid state CMOS device that emits nanoparticle's of propellant; sort of an ion thruster without the high voltage, electrode arcing and grids that can short out from a misplaced dust mote. <br /><br />Now imagine millions or billions of them in a megawatt flat panel array used as a space craft propulsion module. <br /><br />It's called NanoFET: Nanoparticle Field Emission Thruster <br /><br /><b>Summary:</b><br /><br /> * It can electrostatically charge and accelerate nanoparticles as propellant<br /> * It could be tremendously flexible in controlling charge/mass (q/m) ratio to tune propulsion performance <br /> * It uses scalable array (thousands to many millions) of micron-sized emitters. It is possible to have millions of emitters per square cm.<br /><br /><b>Advantages offered by nanoFET:</b> <br /><br /> * Ability for broader set of missions and mission phases.<br /> * Ability to decoupling of propulsion system design from the design of spacecraft.<br /><br />Picture below.<br /><br />NanoFET PDF <br /><br />Article 1....<br /><br />Article 2....<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Article 1:<br /><br />Brian Gilchrist's design for a rocket ship sounds like a bad joke. For a start, its engine is about the size of a single bacterium. And for thrust it relies on the equivalent of chucking microscopic beer cans out of the spacecraft's rear window. Gilchrist, an electrical engineer at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is not joking though. He proposes to harness the latest nanotechnology to create an engine that will make its way across the solar system by firing out minute metal particles like so much nano-sized grapeshot.<br /><br />Needless to say, it will take mor</p></blockquote> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>