Here&#x27;s a better view of the same thing: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.google.com&#x2F;patents&#x2F;US7808353" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.google.com&#x2F;patents&#x2F;US7808353</a><p>Note that this coil essentially <i>is</i> the thruster.  You put gas (from a compressed tank) in one end and it fires out the back, creating thrust from electricity + the gas.  It&#x27;s not quite a massless thruster, but very close!<p>This represents a major improvement over the ion propulsion on Deep Space 1.