Electric Welding Hazard to Spacecraft Electronics

Producing oxygen and fertilizer with the Martian atmosphere by using microwave plasma

“…MW plasma using solid-state technology can now sustain transmission efficiencies of >70% with ten times longer lifetimes than magnetron technologies, which degrade in performance comparatively quickly over time. The electromagnetic shielding of high-frequency MW discharges is also much more straightforward than low-frequency plasma devices, which present a considerable challenge in terms of minimizing electromagnetic interference (EMI) to neighboring electronics (e.g., EMI from arc welders operating at DC and kHz AC is a common nuisance 59,60 ). We therefore believe that MW plasma generated with state-of-the-art low-mass, small-footprint solid-state amplifiers is the ''technology of choice'' for future missions deploying plasma-based gas-conversion technologies to Mars and beyond.…”