
Salts
In space and astronautical engineering, salts refer to a type of propellant used in ion thrusters. Salts are made up of a metal and a halogen, such as cesium and iodine. When heated, the salt becomes ionized and can be accelerated by an electric field to produce thrust. Salts are preferred over other types of propellants because they are highly efficient and have a high specific impulse, which means they can produce a large amount of thrust per unit of propellant. However, salts can be corrosive and require special handling and storage procedures.
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