Episode

1650: "Ion Drives"

Podcast: Interesting Things with JC
Published: May 12, 2026
Duration seconds: 161
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Canonical source: https://jimconnors.net/interesting-things-with-jc/2026/5/12/1650-ion-drives
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Summary

Interesting Things with JC #1650: "Ion Drives" – An engine produces less force than a postcard weighs, yet it keeps pushing a spacecraft across billions of miles of space; chemical rockets burn hard and stop quickly, while ion drives keep accelerating atoms through a vacuum long after the violent launch is over.