Xenon gas

From Kerbal Space Program Wiki
Revision as of 14:07, 26 November 2014 by THEMUNROVER (talk | contribs) (Uses: +detail, correct thrust value of ion engine, grammar)
Jump to: navigation, search
Xenon gas
Density 0.1 kg/unit
Transferable Yes
Tweakable Yes
Drainable Yes
Flow mode Everywhere
Cost Funds/unit
40 Funds/kg
Since version 0.18
This article is a stub. You can help KSP Wiki by expanding it.

Xenon gas is a fuel resource that powers only ion engines. With a density of only 0.1 kg per unit this is the lightest resource after electric charge.

Uses

A picture of a flame out resulting of no electric charge

There are only three xenon gas related parts available at the moment. The PB-ION Electric Propulsion System is an extremely efficient engine which consumes small amounts of xenon gas and a lot of electric charge, and produces just 2 kN of thrust, limiting its uses to small probes or rovers, for the simple reason that burn times would be extremely large in heavier crafts, which is not generally considered a good thing by gamers. In the real world, ion engines have been used because of the high efficiency, when time is no object. The inline PB-X150 Xenon Container and the radially attached PB-X50R Xenon Container are tanks which can supply the engine with xenon, however additional means of generation and storage are necessary to supply electricity. One should remember to put bring either very large batteries and a slowly replenishing electricity source or a series of large solar panels to help power the xenon engines. In the event that your ion engines stop running and flame out, you should check your electricity supplies as this is usually the problem.