The Complete Book of Spaceflight: From Apollo 1 to Zero Gravity

magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster
A form of electromagnetic propulsion. In MPD thrusters,
a current along a conducting bar creates an azimuthal magnetic
field that interacts with the current of an arc that runs
from the point of the bar to a conducting wall. The resulting
Lorentz force has two components: a radially inward
force (pumping) that constricts the flow, and a force along
the axis (blowing) that produces the directed thrust. Erosion
at the point of contact between the current and the
electrodes is a critical issue in MPD thruster design.
Magnetosphere Probe 253
Magellan The Magellan
spacecraft with its attached
Inertial Upper Stage booster in
the Space Shuttle Orbiter
Atlantis payload bay prior to
launch. NASA
magnetosphere
The region of space in which the magnetic field of: (1)
Earth or another planet dominates the radiation pressure
of the solar wind to which it is exposed, or (2) the
Sun or another star dominates the pressure of the surrounding
interstellar medium.
Magnetosphere Probe
Three American suborbital missions, launched by Blue
Scout Juniors from Cape Canaveral on March 13, 1964,