These Planes Are Propelled With Ionic Thrust

Summary by Krater

An explanation and demonstration of how ion propulsion thrusters work using high voltage, showing why they cannot operate in a vacuum without propellant.

From the video

Answers: How does ion propulsion work and can it work in a vacuum?

• Ion propulsion
• Electrohydrodynamic thrusters
• Electric fields and corona discharge
• Vacuum chamber experiments

What it concludes

• Ion propulsion creates thrust by ionizing air molecules and accelerating them through an electric field, producing a neutral wind that pushes against an electrode.
• Ion thrusters cannot propel themselves in a vacuum because there is no neutral gas for the ions to collide with and push against.
• Ion propulsion systems require a source of gas propellant to work in space, using electrical forces to ionize and accelerate the propellant out the back.