Ion engines for interplanetary travel?
MAR 09, 2010
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.024142
SPACE.com : Former NASA astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz has been developing a new rocket engine that draws upon electric power and magnetic fields to channel superheated plasma out the back. That stream of plasma generates steady, efficient thrust that uses low amounts of propellant and builds up speed over time.The rocket technology could drastically cut down the amount of time a spacecraft needs to fly between Earth and Mars.The idea behind ion engines has been around for more than 60 years, and has been used in some small experimental micro-satellites in Earth orbit. The Ad Astra Rocket Company is now trying to successfully build an interplanetary engine called the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) by competing for some R&D funds from NASA .
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