An electric propulsion memoir

Abstract

Based on over sixty years of working in electric propulsion research, a personal memoir attempts to observe the progress of electric propulsion from early explorations to the present successes in accomplishing attractive and practical systems. It includes several anecdotal remarks on the difficulties of achieving acceptance of electric propulsion for space missions, and concludes with notions for the future. The perspectives offered may be useful for a new generation of electric propulsion workers who have entered a field that is now successful.