NASA IS PLANNING TO SEND ASTRONAUTS TO MARS IN TWO MONTHS

An illustration of Howe Industries’ Pulsed Plasma Rocket (PPR) concept. (Image credit: Howe Industries via YouTube)

Mon 20 May 2024:

A cutting-edge rocket system could revolutionize future deep space missions to Mars by significantly reducing travel time to just a few months.

Landing humans on Mars poses numerous challenges, including the need for swift transport of large payloads to and from the distant planet. Current propulsion technology would require almost two years for a round trip, depending on the positions of Earth and Mars.

Howe Industries, based in Arizona, is developing a transformative propulsion technology. Their pulsed plasma rocket will use nuclear fission—energy released from atoms splitting—to generate plasma packets for thrust, enabling higher speeds in a shorter timeframe.

The engine will produce a regulated plasma jet, propelling the rocket into orbit at speeds much greater than those achieved by conventional chemical engines.

Using a plasma propulsion system, the spaceship can generate up to 10 tonnes of thrust with a specific impulse of 5,000 seconds, ensuring exceptionally high fuel efficiency.

While this sounds like a major breakthrough, the concept is not entirely new. NASA developed a similar idea called PuFF in 2018. However, NASA claims that the pulsed plasma rocket is more affordable and features a simpler design.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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