Fun Fact #321

 Fun Fact #321

Ion Engines

In 1926, a 16 year old by the name of Wernher von Braun sketched his idea for a space capsule. One of the cool parts of it was that it used an idea for a new engine which would strip electrons off atoms for propulsion: what’s now called an Ion Engine. However there was a problem with this, namely that Wernher lived under the Nazis. 

Thankfully there were several issues with the engine which wouldn't be solved until 1959 when it was discovered the engine needed xenon gas to function properly. It would take until Nasa’s “Deep Space 1” for them to be the primary means of propulsion for a spacecraft as a part of Project “Blockbuster.  Today Ion engines are the primary system for satellite corrections and probe propulsion in space. As for Werner, he went on to join Nasa becoming known as the Father of Spaceflight, and in 1963 would give permission to use his 1926 design in fiction. Which is why –after adding wings– George Lucas was able to use the design for the movie Star Wars in 1978 as “The Tie Fighter”. 

Wernher’s 1926 design –from Nasa.gov