ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. MicroNewton Thruster (MNT) Small Business Innovation Research Busek Co. Inc. Natick, MA INNOVATION A stable and controllable microNewton colloid thruster that generates and accelerates a stream of nanometer-size charged droplets • ACCOMPLISHMENTS • Demonstrated the first prototype of the MNT system with the assistance of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University • First use of the carbon nanotube (CNT) based electron field emission (FE) neutralizer in electric propulsion • Demonstration of extremely low noise thrust, of the order of 10-8 Newton, feed system with no moving parts and the CNT FE neutralizer • A set of microthrusters will control spacecraft position with nanometer precision First prototype 20 microNewton colloid thruster system which includes enough propellant to operate for 3000 hours • GOVERNMENT/SCIENCE APPLICATIONS • Will deliver to JPL 3/05 to fly on the NASA New Millennium Space Technology Demonstration Mission (ST7). This project will fly on the NASA/ESA European Spacecraft Smart 2 scheduled for 6/06 • The MNTs will enable future scientific missions such as NASA’s Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) gravitational wave observatory and the Micro-Arcsecond X-ray Imaging Mission (MAXIM) x-ray interferometer • COMMERCIALIZATION • Busek was selected to provide a set of microNewton thrusters for the Space Technology 7 (ST7) project as part of the Disturbance Reduction System. Busek will receive $9.9M for this effort • The space market for the MNT’s could reach several tens of millions of dollars over the next decade Glenn Research Center Space Propulsion 3-094 1998 Phase II, NAS3-00017, rev. 5/03 NASA Contact – James Sovey Company Contact – Vlad Hruby