Editing Ion thruster (section)

== Popular culture ==
* The idea of an ion engine first appeared in Donald W. Horner's ''By Aeroplane to the Sun: Being the Adventures of a Daring Aviator and his Friends'' (1910).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/ion_drive|title=Themes: Ion Drive |website=Science Fiction Encyclopedia}}</ref>
* Ion propulsion is the main thrust source of the spaceship ''Kosmokrator'' in the East German/Polish science fiction film {{lang|de|[[First Spaceship on Venus|Der Schweigende Stern]]}} (1960).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kruschel|first1=Karsten|title=Leim für die Venus – Der Science-Fiction-Film in der DDR |lang=de |trans-title=Glue for Venus – The science fiction film in the GDR |date=2007 |publisher=Heyne |isbn=978-3-453-52261-9|pages=803–888}}</ref> Minute 28:10.
* In the 1968 ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' episode "[[Spock's Brain]]", [[Scotty (Star Trek)|Scotty]] is repeatedly impressed by a civilization's use of ion power.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chakoteya.net/StarTrek/61.htm|title=The Star Trek Transcripts – Spock's Brain|website=chakoteya.net}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tor.com/2016/06/07/star-trek-the-original-series-rewatch-spocks-brain/|title=Star Trek The Original Series Rewatch: 'Spock's Brain'|first=Keith R. A.|last=DeCandido|date=June 7, 2016|website=tor.com}}</ref>
* The popular [[TIE fighter|Imperial TIE Fighter]] spacecraft from the [[Star Wars|Star Wars franchise]] are propelled by twin ion engines, hence the name.
* Ion propulsion is used by the ''Hermes'' spacecraft in the [[Andy Weir]] novel ''[[The Martian (Weir novel)|The Martian]]'' to transfer crew between Earth and Mars.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 August 2015 |editor-last=Fox |editor-first=Steve |title=Nine Real NASA Technologies in 'The Martian' |url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nine-real-nasa-technologies-in-the-martian |access-date=30 June 2023 |website=NASA |archive-date=20 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620125937/https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nine-real-nasa-technologies-in-the-martian/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>