Field emission cathodes are presently being developed as low-power space electric propulsion neutralizers and for spacecraft charge control and electrodynamic tether applications requiring no consumables. These cathodes effect cold electron emission by the application of a relatively high electric field across a small gap from some kind of electron emitting (cathode) surface. Various designs of field emission cathodes are being investigated for charge control on a student-built experiment called Field Emission GetAway Special Investigation (FEGI), including molybdenum, carbon nanotube, boron nitride and diamond surface emission cathodes. This paper presents the current progress of the FEGI experiment with a focus on the emitters that will be flown, and the immediately surrounding electrical, mechanical and environmental support structures. Nomenclature LVTF =
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.