What can visitors do with the embedded Ion Thruster Lab?

They can drag sliders for beam voltage, beam current, ion mass, mass utilization, electrical efficiency and beam divergence efficiency, then press Run to fire the beam. A schematic and an efficiency-delivered gauge update live, a split bar breaks total efficiency into its three factors, and two plots track the burn and the voltage tradeoff. One-click presets set up xenon, krypton, high-Isp or high-thrust operation.

What does the Ion Thruster Lab teach?

It makes the Isp–thrust tradeoff concrete. Higher beam voltage gives a very high exhaust velocity and specific impulse but tiny thrust, while more current buys thrust at the cost of power. Total efficiency is three multiplied factors — mass utilization, electrical and beam divergence — so students see why a little xenon goes a long way and why ion engines are patient rather than powerful.

Is embedding the Ion Thruster Lab free?

Yes. It is free to embed on any site, with no account, no API key and no usage limits. The whole simulation runs in your visitor’s own browser, so there is no server cost — we only ask that you keep the small "Ion Thruster Lab by LK Forge" credit line that comes with the embed code.

What iframe height should I use, especially on mobile?

The snippet ships with height="1810", which is tall enough that the schematic, sliders, readouts and both plots all fit without clipping. This dashboard-style lab stacks into a single column on a narrow phone, so the tall height keeps everything visible; on a wider page the widget centres within its max-width of 720px.

Where can I embed it — WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Notion?

Anywhere you can add HTML, because it is a standard iframe. In WordPress use a Custom HTML block; in Squarespace a Code/Embed block; in Wix an Embed HTML element; in Ghost an HTML card; in Notion paste the /embed/ion/ URL as an embed. On a plain HTML page or an intranet, paste the snippet straight into the markup.

Does the embedded lab track visitors or set cookies?

No. Everything runs locally in the visitor’s browser — nothing is uploaded. The embed sets no tracking cookies and sends no analytics, so it is safe to place on a privacy-sensitive site, an intranet, or a page for students.

Widgets

How to Add an Ion Thruster Lab to Your Website

LK Forge · 4 min read · Updated September 2026

You can add a full ion thruster simulator to any website, blog, or classroom page with a single line of code — free, with no sign-up, no plugin, and no script to install. Visitors set the beam, press Run, and watch a gauge report the thrust and efficiency an electric engine can deliver. The whole lesson is the Isp–thrust tradeoff: crank the voltage for enormous specific impulse and the thrust shrinks to a whisper, so ion engines burn for months instead of minutes. This guide covers the fastest way to embed the Ion Thruster Lab, what it shows, and where it works.

The quickest way: paste one embed snippet

An embed is just an <iframe> that loads the lab from lkforge.com, plus a small credit line. Copy this into your page’s HTML where you want the widget to appear:

<iframe src="https://lkforge.com/embed/ion/"
        width="100%" height="1810" loading="lazy"
        style="border:0;max-width:720px"
        title="Ion Thruster Lab by LK Forge"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://lkforge.com/tools/physics/ion/">Ion Thruster Lab</a>
   by <a href="https://lkforge.com/">LK Forge</a></p>

The <iframe> is the live lab; the <p> underneath is a plain credit link. Keep that line — the visible link is what keeps the widget free to embed. You can also copy this exact code straight from the LK Forge widget gallery.

What the widget shows

The lab opens on a worked example, so a visitor sees a full result immediately and can then take control:

Beam sliders: set beam voltage, beam current, ion mass, mass utilization, electrical efficiency and beam divergence efficiency, or load a xenon, krypton, high-Isp or high-thrust preset in one click.
Run the beam: press Run and watch the schematic and the efficiency-delivered gauge update in real time.
Loss-split bar: a stacked bar breaks total efficiency into its three factors — mass utilization, electrical, and beam divergence.
Two plots: a burn plot tracks the accumulating result while a voltage tradeoff curve shows Isp climbing as thrust falls away.

Pick the right height

The snippet uses height="1810" and max-width:720px. This is a dashboard-style lab, so on a narrow phone the schematic, controls, readouts and plots stack into a single column — the tall height keeps everything from clipping there. On a wider page the widget simply centres within its max width, so there is nothing to tweak for mobile.

Where it works

Because it is a standard iframe, the embed works anywhere you can add HTML:

WordPress: add a Custom HTML block and paste the snippet.
Squarespace: use a Code / Embed block.
Wix: add an Embed HTML / iframe element.
Ghost: insert an HTML card.
Notion: paste the /embed/ion/ URL and choose "Create embed".
Plain HTML, an intranet, or a lesson page: paste the snippet straight into the markup.

That’s the whole job. Copy the embed code from the widget gallery and paste it wherever a physics, aerospace or engineering lesson — or a blog post on electric and deep-space propulsion — needs a thruster students can actually fire.

Grab the embed code from the LK Forge widget gallery — free, no sign-up.

Open the Ion Thruster Lab

Frequently asked questions

What can visitors do with the embedded Ion Thruster Lab?: They can drag sliders for beam voltage, beam current, ion mass, mass utilization, electrical efficiency and beam divergence efficiency, then press Run to fire the beam. A schematic and an efficiency-delivered gauge update live, a split bar breaks total efficiency into its three factors, and two plots track the burn and the voltage tradeoff. One-click presets set up xenon, krypton, high-Isp or high-thrust operation.
What does the Ion Thruster Lab teach?: It makes the Isp–thrust tradeoff concrete. Higher beam voltage gives a very high exhaust velocity and specific impulse but tiny thrust, while more current buys thrust at the cost of power. Total efficiency is three multiplied factors — mass utilization, electrical and beam divergence — so students see why a little xenon goes a long way and why ion engines are patient rather than powerful.
Is embedding the Ion Thruster Lab free?: Yes. It is free to embed on any site, with no account, no API key and no usage limits. The whole simulation runs in your visitor’s own browser, so there is no server cost — we only ask that you keep the small "Ion Thruster Lab by LK Forge" credit line that comes with the embed code.
What iframe height should I use, especially on mobile?: The snippet ships with height="1810", which is tall enough that the schematic, sliders, readouts and both plots all fit without clipping. This dashboard-style lab stacks into a single column on a narrow phone, so the tall height keeps everything visible; on a wider page the widget centres within its max-width of 720px.
Where can I embed it — WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Notion?: Anywhere you can add HTML, because it is a standard iframe. In WordPress use a Custom HTML block; in Squarespace a Code/Embed block; in Wix an Embed HTML element; in Ghost an HTML card; in Notion paste the /embed/ion/ URL as an embed. On a plain HTML page or an intranet, paste the snippet straight into the markup.
Does the embedded lab track visitors or set cookies?: No. Everything runs locally in the visitor’s browser — nothing is uploaded. The embed sets no tracking cookies and sends no analytics, so it is safe to place on a privacy-sensitive site, an intranet, or a page for students.