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PropulsionWhy ion propulsion? |
No. Ion engines work on the principles of charged particles. They are not radioactive. Radioactivity means that an atom is not stable and is losing subatomic particles (small parts of itself) slowly over time. Radioactive decay occurs until enough subatomic particles decay for the atom to turn into a totally different atom, called the daughter isotope.
Ion propulsion works by charging atoms electrically, not making them come apart. When an atom is charged (i.e. loses or gains an electron) its reactivity is changed, but the atom itself does not change identity. It is stable, just more or less reactive with other atoms or ions.
What is an ion?
