Ion RCS-type Motors?

[Kanastrous]

How far off are ion engines compact and powerful enough to manuever a spacecraft - to the degree that the primary and vernier RCS rockets are used to manuever the space shuttle?

Still science-fiction-grade, or is there a reasonable projection that can be made from what's been done, to date?

[Sarevok]

Well common knowledge aka google wisdom is ion engines produce negligible amounts of thrust. It might take hours to spin a spacecraft around with ion engines. That would not be a good idea when something like the shuttle is attempting a docking with a space station.

[Zixinus]

Ahem: http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3c2.html#ion

Ion engines cannot be high trust. There are other electric engines with curiously high thrust, like MPD but Ion is not good for reaction control.

[Kanastrous]

Thanks for the link.

*Very* educational.