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.
