It was more than 50 years ago that we set foot on the moon. You may have already heard, the next hurdle we as humans’ plan to overcome is the Red Planet (Mars). This journey is going to be much more difficult though. While the journey to the moon took only 3 days, the trip to mars is going to take the better part of a year. This presents some unique problems, for starters the size of the ship required to transport a crew and two years (considering the return trip also) worth of supplies just to get there and home. As well as the incredible amount of fuel conventional rockets would use on this journey.
This is where a new technology is going to play a large part in the journey. The plasma rocket may just be the answer. Though it is worth mentioning that we are still going to have to use conventional rockets to get out of earth’s atmosphere, because plasma rockets do not generate enough thrust to combat gravity. But once we are in space they are more than adequate.
What makes a plasma rocket different though? A plasma rocket uses fuel to generate a “hot soup” of electrically charged particles (plasma). This type of rocket is will reduce the amount of fuel used in space by nearly 90%. Essentially cutting the amount of fuel needed for the journey down to 10% of the amount of what would be required for conventional rockets.
The future of this technology is indeed bright, though it is not a perfect technology. One of the last major hurdles researchers are attempting to overcome is longevity. After all, if these types of rockets are used for the mission to mars they are going to have to run almost continuously for nearly a year without malfunctioning. Though this is not small thing to overcome, the scientists involved are optimistic.
Original article – http://www.space.com/33660-traveling-to-mars-with-immortal-plasma-rockets.html
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