Fast Flight to Mars with a Plasma Rocket

Fast Flight to Mars with a Plasma Rocket

Mars is far away. For a manned spaceship to get there now under current rocket power, it would take about a year. But riding a plasma rocket will shorten the trip considerably — to just 39 days.

While Hacketts Cove, Nova Scotia is not the hotbed of aerospace technology, a company there is building a radio frequency sensor unit that will heat argon gas enough to turn it to plasma. Nautel is building a plasma generator the size of a golf bag that will be attached to the next generation of high-powered rockets.

NASA will likely test a plasma-powered rocket to move the International Space Station in 2013 before it starts sending missions to Mars.

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2 Responses to “Fast Flight to Mars with a Plasma Rocket”

  1. Matthew says:

    Argon gas?
    It’s hydrogen that they will be using.
    Read the story first before posting something
    like this.

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