Quasi - Steady Manetoplasmadynamic Thruster Measured Performance Database ∗

The performance of a coaxial, gas-fed, self-field, quasi-steady pulsed magnetoplasmadynamic thruster (MPDT) was measured using a swinging gate thrust stand equipped with a laser interferometer and an RF proximeter. Careful calibration of the thrust stand, and other diagnostics insured that the measurement errors, barring the effects of fluctuations in the discharge voltage, are well below 2%. The measurements were carried for various mass flow rates, ranging between .5 and 6 g/s and for four propellant gases: argon, xenon, hydrogen and deuterium. The data set can be interpreted to describe both the performance of 1) steady-state high-power (multimegawatt) MPDTs and 2) quasi-steady pulsed MPDTs that can operate at arbitrarily low spacecraft bus power. The results were curve-fit and compiled into a performance database that is intended as a data source for system or mission analysis as well as for the validation of analytical and numerical models of the MPDT.