Credit: NASA
An ion thruster (or ion drive), one of several types of spacecraft propulsion, uses beams of ions — electrically charged atoms or molecules— for propulsion. The ion beam is visible in this image as a blue, flame-like exhaust.
An ion thruster (or ion drive), one of several types of spacecraft propulsion, uses beams of ions — electrically charged atoms or molecules— for propulsion. The ion beam is visible in this image as a blue, flame-like exhaust.