I get news releases from Glenn Research Center via email and the following was copied and pasted (I couldn't find the release on their site yet). Its pretty relevant to a couple of threads on here, so I gave it its own, enjoy 
April 14, 2011
Lori J. Rachul
Media Relations Office
216-433-8806
Lori.J.Rachul@nasa.gov
Katherine K. Martin
Media Relations Office
216-433-2406
katherine.martin@nasa.gov
RELEASE: 11-020
NASA'S NEW ION ENGINE READY FOR MISSIONS IN SPACE
CLEVELAND -- A small robotic surveyor arrives to explore a near-Earth
asteroid. Another robotic spacecraft is returning to Earth with a
pristine comet surface sample. Meanwhile, a robotic explorer is
approaching Uranus, carrying scientific instruments that will allow
us to learn more about our solar system. What do all these mission
concepts have in common?
These scenarios, analyzed and recommended by the planetary science
community in its recent study "Visons and Voyages for Planetary
Science in the Decade 2013-2022," all may use the exceptional
performance and lifetime capability of an advanced ion engine
developed by NASA's Glenn Research Center.
The ion engine, NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT), is the next
generation of the ion engine now propelling the Dawn spacecraft to
asteroids Vesta and Ceres.
In its continuing effort to improve the NEXT ion engine, NASA recently
completed a series of tests that mimic the requirements of a wide
range of ambitious missions. An engine lifetime demonstration,
initiated in June, 2005, recently achieved two milestones in electric
propulsion testing.
Surpassing the longest operating duration of previous ion engines by
5,000 hours, NEXT has operated for more than 35,500 hours, more than
four years of cumulative time. In addition, over 600 kilograms of
xenon propellant have been expended, twice as much as originally
required. These two measures are essential to accomplishing
long-duration scientific space exploration missions.
Long lifetime allows the mission designer to build a simpler ion
propulsion system by reducing the number of engines required, while
providing more science payload capability and higher reliability.
Engineers at Glenn predict that the engine will continue to operate
for at least two more years, further extending the capability of the
ion propulsion system and providing more mission opportunities. "The
engineers at Glenn and Aerojet have done an incredible job in
designing out the lifetime limitations of prior generations of ion
engines," said Michael J. Patterson, NEXT principal investigator and
senior propulsion technologist at Glenn. "A new standard in electric
propulsion lifetime has been set."
While traditionally-used chemical propulsion typically performs
accelerating burns for several minutes, then coasts, the ion engine
operates continuously for several years, providing constant
acceleration to the spacecraft. By providing a small, constant thrust
over long periods of time, the engine accelerates spacecraft to
thousands of kilometers per hour, while using less than a tenth of
the propellant of a conventional, chemical rocket. This efficiency
will allow spacecraft to reach more distant and difficult scientific
targets throughout the solar system. For that reason, demonstration
of long duration operations is critical to the technology validation.
The NEXT project is a joint technology and engineering development
program led by Glenn to develop a next generation electric propulsion
system, including power processing, propellant management and other
components. The Aerojet Corporation, Redmond, Wash., has successfully
advanced the Glenn NEXT engine technology concept to a flight-ready
design. Other members of the NEXT team include NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.; and L-3 Communications Electron
Technologies, Torrance, Calif.
The NEXT project was competitively selected under the In-Space
Propulsion Technology Program, managed by NASA's Science Mission
Directorate in Washington, D.C. and implemented by Glenn.
For more information about NEXT, visit:
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/ion/present/next.htm
For more information about Glenn, visit:
http://grc.nasa.gov
-end-
To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
grc-subscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
April 14, 2011
Lori J. Rachul
Media Relations Office
216-433-8806
Lori.J.Rachul@nasa.gov
Katherine K. Martin
Media Relations Office
216-433-2406
katherine.martin@nasa.gov
RELEASE: 11-020
NASA'S NEW ION ENGINE READY FOR MISSIONS IN SPACE
CLEVELAND -- A small robotic surveyor arrives to explore a near-Earth
asteroid. Another robotic spacecraft is returning to Earth with a
pristine comet surface sample. Meanwhile, a robotic explorer is
approaching Uranus, carrying scientific instruments that will allow
us to learn more about our solar system. What do all these mission
concepts have in common?
These scenarios, analyzed and recommended by the planetary science
community in its recent study "Visons and Voyages for Planetary
Science in the Decade 2013-2022," all may use the exceptional
performance and lifetime capability of an advanced ion engine
developed by NASA's Glenn Research Center.
The ion engine, NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT), is the next
generation of the ion engine now propelling the Dawn spacecraft to
asteroids Vesta and Ceres.
In its continuing effort to improve the NEXT ion engine, NASA recently
completed a series of tests that mimic the requirements of a wide
range of ambitious missions. An engine lifetime demonstration,
initiated in June, 2005, recently achieved two milestones in electric
propulsion testing.
Surpassing the longest operating duration of previous ion engines by
5,000 hours, NEXT has operated for more than 35,500 hours, more than
four years of cumulative time. In addition, over 600 kilograms of
xenon propellant have been expended, twice as much as originally
required. These two measures are essential to accomplishing
long-duration scientific space exploration missions.
Long lifetime allows the mission designer to build a simpler ion
propulsion system by reducing the number of engines required, while
providing more science payload capability and higher reliability.
Engineers at Glenn predict that the engine will continue to operate
for at least two more years, further extending the capability of the
ion propulsion system and providing more mission opportunities. "The
engineers at Glenn and Aerojet have done an incredible job in
designing out the lifetime limitations of prior generations of ion
engines," said Michael J. Patterson, NEXT principal investigator and
senior propulsion technologist at Glenn. "A new standard in electric
propulsion lifetime has been set."
While traditionally-used chemical propulsion typically performs
accelerating burns for several minutes, then coasts, the ion engine
operates continuously for several years, providing constant
acceleration to the spacecraft. By providing a small, constant thrust
over long periods of time, the engine accelerates spacecraft to
thousands of kilometers per hour, while using less than a tenth of
the propellant of a conventional, chemical rocket. This efficiency
will allow spacecraft to reach more distant and difficult scientific
targets throughout the solar system. For that reason, demonstration
of long duration operations is critical to the technology validation.
The NEXT project is a joint technology and engineering development
program led by Glenn to develop a next generation electric propulsion
system, including power processing, propellant management and other
components. The Aerojet Corporation, Redmond, Wash., has successfully
advanced the Glenn NEXT engine technology concept to a flight-ready
design. Other members of the NEXT team include NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.; and L-3 Communications Electron
Technologies, Torrance, Calif.
The NEXT project was competitively selected under the In-Space
Propulsion Technology Program, managed by NASA's Science Mission
Directorate in Washington, D.C. and implemented by Glenn.
For more information about NEXT, visit:
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/ion/present/next.htm
For more information about Glenn, visit:
http://grc.nasa.gov
-end-
To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
grc-subscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
