This research is focused on several areas of the micro PPT performance. An important idea studied is the effect of lifetime use on the performance. The thruster is fired for a simulated lifetime of use to see if there is an impact on the thrust of the thruster later in life. Also vital is the efficiency of the thruster. A micro PPT performing at max efficiency will ionize all ablated material; however, we know that not to be the case. In this research the effort is made to collect these non-ionized particles in order to measure their mass post-test. With this collected mass and a knowledge of how much the thruster has ablated, it can be determined what percentage of the propellant has been ionized. With the non-ionized particles also comes a concern about contamination. Knowing the amount of particles that can collect at the end of a lifetime of use allows a better understanding of what contamination issues a spacecraft may have and what precautions need to be made.
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