Talk:Dual-Stage 4-Grid

Question about notation

What unit does "2.5 N" denote? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.138.204.22 (talk) 23:47, 23 May 2015 (UTC)

2.5 N means 2.5 newtons of thrust. 1 newton of force is the force required to accelerate 1 kg of mass 1 m/s every second. This is the typical notation for this unit and other units are also left abbr., so I am hesitant to change it in the article.--Cincotta1 (talk) 01:27, 22 June 2016 (UTC)

I've linked N to Newton (unit). - Rod57 (talk) 21:14, 16 April 2017 (UTC)

Have any prototypes been built

Is it just a paper design or have any prototypes been built and tested ? - Rod57 (talk) 21:11, 16 April 2017 (UTC)

They did do some basic testing a decade ago now, http://www.esa.int/gsp/ACT/pro/projects/ds4g_test.html . Since then it appears it has been found through modelling that using only 3 grids instead of 4 is almost as effective with less complexity, so more recent research focused on "DS3G" by adding another grid to conventional GIEs. I haven't seen anything in the last couple of years however. ChiZeroOne (talk) 22:39, 16 April 2017 (UTC)

Numbers not really making sense

"...only 0.2 m diameter is projected to absorb 250 kW power", how does something that small taking that much power not instantly melt? What even is the point if you get only 2.5N out of that staggering power demand? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.24.9.193 (talk) 03:26, 12 August 2020 (UTC)

Read up on how ion thrusters work. They typically run for long periods so even though the thrust sounds small, it adds up. The main advantage is that a much lower mass of propellant needs to be carried compared to a chemical ("normal") rocket to achieve the same Delta-V. Note that ion thrusters only make sense in near vacuum so they can't be used for the first stage of a rocket. --SmilingBoy (talk) 21:18, 18 August 2020 (UTC)

Ok, but WTF kind of power source *on a spacecraft* can provide 250,000 Watts continually for *months*? 50.24.9.193 (talk) 02:04, 22 September 2020 (UTC)

Comparison table could add thrust and power input columns

Comparison table could add thrust and electrical power input columns, and technology-readiness-level, and thrust-to-weight. - Rod57 (talk) 12:03, 23 April 2023 (UTC)

What propellants are proposed and tested ?

What propellants are proposed and tested, eg Xenon, Krypton, Argon, others ? - Rod57 (talk) 12:14, 23 April 2023 (UTC)