In a Spiral to Space

Abstract

In various laboratories of the world scientists design and develop reactive engines in which the reactive jet is generated by accelerating charged particles in an electric field (ion engines, operating on the principle of interaction of an electric current with a magnetic field, plasma engines, and other types of engine [7.1]). The reactive thrust produced by such engines, unlike that produced by engines that use a chemical fuel, is very small and can impart a spaceship an acceleration of only several mm/sec. In other words, the reactive acceleration is thousands of times smaller than the acceleration of gravity at the Earth’s surface(g ₀ =9.81 m/sec²). Clearly, with such an acceleration one cannot escape the gravitational field of Earth. To that end one needs accelerations larger than g_o, which are generated by rocket engines that use chemical fuel.

Imagine a dazzling, elastic spiral, whirling away into the sky!...

A. Voznesenky, Triangular pear