Wiktionary
n. (context astronautics English) a type of spacecraft propulsion, whereby electric fields accelerate ions out the exhaust to provide motive force
WordNet
n. a type of reaction-propulsion engine to propel rockets in space; a stream of positive ions is accelerated to a high velocity by an electric field
Usage examples of "ion engine".
Riane could feel, like a current from a V'ornn ion engine, the animal energy with which Haamadi had infused the boy.
The clutch's ion engine exploded, letting the craft's three fins spin away through space.
Janson's first shot entered his target's port ion engine, vaping the eyeball in a spectacular explosion.
Red bolts burned through the ion engine shielding, exploding the engines.
Borleias is still suffering a malfunction on the ion engine initializer.
What happened, as far as I can tell, is that their ion engine reactions became hyperstimulated in an exchange with whatever charged particles passed through their ship during that storm forty-seven days ago.
Republic Sienar Systems responds with the Twin Ion Engine starfighter - the T.
His port-side ion engine was completely out of commis-sion, its connections severed, with trailing cables from the power generator having fallen into other wiring, destroying he knew not how much additional equipment.
He would jump off a cliff or dive into the hot end of an ion engine for her, and the only time she ever saw any sign of discontentment with her orders was when Bolpuhr thought she might be placing him in a difficult position to properly defend her.
His portside ion engine was completely out of commission, its connections severed, with trailing cables from the power generator having fallen into other wiring, destroying he knew not how much additional equipment.
In 1995 I received a proposal from a Canadian engineer for a launch system using an ion engine that could produce an acceleration of only a tiny fraction of a gee.