The facility for active influence on the Earth ionosphere
by plasma injection

RU patent № 2126611

The invention deals with the field of rocket space technology, namely, with facilities for active influence on the near space by way of plasma injection to ionosphere. The power processing unit of the facility uses thermal batteries with exothermic heaters postioned coaxially with the plasma accelerator on the side of its outer surface. Thermal batteries are a heat screen for the plasma accelerator and, in combination with load-dearing rings connecting thermal batteries with each other on the end face side, form the load-bearing frame where all the members of the plasma accelerator are fixed. The plasma accelerator is electrically connected with power processing unit terminals in which an activation squib of one of thermal batteries is connected with the control unit issuing command to starting of the plasma accelerator. The output terminals of the starting thermal battery are electrically connected with terminals of activation squibs of the rest of thermal batteries and with those of an activation squib of the exothermic starting heater. Systems for storage, feed and evaporation of propellant are combined and made in the form of coaxial porous cylinder filled with propellant and installed on the hollow cathode. On the opposite side of the cathode out of its inner space, propellant vapous are supplied to the discharge chamber through one or a few openings closed with hermetically-sealed plugs being broken by the heat arriving from the exothermic starting heater. This design provides the independence of starting and operation of the facility from environmental temperature conditions at minimum power consumption and mass-and-size characteristics.