How/why is Smart 1's 'ion' drive better than compressed gas?

Subject: How/why is Smart 1's 'ion' drive better than compressed gas?

Date: Tue Nov 16 08:12:10 2004
Posted by Gordon
Grade level: grad (non-science) School: No school entered.
City: Basingstoke State/Province: Hampshire Country: England
Area of science: Physics
ID: 1100614330.Ph

Message:


According to BBC news website article 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4015227.stm the ion drive on the Smart 1 
lunar probe fires xenon ions to produce thrust. How/why is this "beam" of ions 
more efficient than just a jet of gas from a cylinder of compressed xenon? And 
why do they call it a beam?

Re: How/why is Smart 1's 'ion' drive better than compressed gas?

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