COMBINED ELECTRIC JET-PROPULSION ENGINE UNIT FOR SPACECRAFT, METHOD OF CREATING CONTROLLING MOMENTS AND THREE-CHANNEL ELECTRIC JET-PROPULSION ENGINE Russian patent published in 1995 - IPC

FIELD: space engineering. SUBSTANCE: combined electric jet- propulsion engine unit for spacecraft has cluster of cruise electric jet engines and cluster of electric jet engines for pitch, roll, and yaw orientation of the spacecraft. The orientation cluster is constructed as four engine assemblies arranged symmetrically in the plane of cruise engines. Each orientation engine is mounted in pair with the cruise engine. The remainder cruise engines are arranged uniformly in the spaces between the mentioned pairs of the engines. The roll orientation engines are the same as the cruise engines and mounted in pair with them. At least one pair of diametrically opposite cruise engines mounted in pair with the roll orientation engines are three-channel. One channel is cruise and the other two channels point in opposite directions perpendicular to the cruise engine orientation. All channels are connected with the power plant in parallel. The method of creating controlling moments of pitch and yaw channel includes connection of one or group of orientation electric jet engines simultaneously with disconnection of one or group of diametrically opposite cruise engines respectively. The three-channel electric jet engine has anodes-gas- distributors, magnetic field source, magnetic conductor and pole tips. EFFECT: simplified method of control and enhanced reliability. 4 cl, 2 dwg