re: Ulysses, Mars Express, and Dawn have all gone in to safe mode
Hate to see that. Hey, in an ion drive like Dawn, how do they manage the net charge on the craft when they are constantly throwing off charged particles? Do they have a way of equalizing, or what?
I recall reading a book when I was in jr. high - might have been by Ballard - that had a research spacecraft defending itself by pointing its "research cyclotron" at the much smaller agressor space ship. The electronics on the smaller ship gradually gave way as the net charge increased. After the battle, when the ships met, they arced and fused together. [I may not recall every detail accurately.]