PROPULSION APPARATUS FOR SPACE VEHICLES AND CORRESPONDING METHOD

A propulsion apparatus for space vehicles, includes a solid state oxygen-rich source layer, means for extracting oxygen from said solid state oxygen-rich source layer, means for accelerating correspondingly extracted oxygen ions into vacuum. A stack includes the solid state oxygen-rich source layer, an active layer being deposited above the solid state oxygen-rich source layer, in contact with the solid state oxygen rich source layer, the active layer being formed with a material different from the solid state oxygen-rich source layer, the material being an oxide presenting impedance hysteresis behavior.