VASIMR plasma rocket getting closer to reality

[uebermann]

http://spaceindustrynews.com/the-vasimr ... avel/4099/

Looks like it won't be too many more years before its a viable means of space transportation to Mars and beyond. A 3-4 month trip to Mars (or potentially faster) is a hell of a lot better than 10-12 months.

[The Comrade]

whatever happened to the engine that ran on shooting tiny grains of radioactive isotopes out the back of it? between this method and that one the next decade of space travel is going to be revolutionary.

[Spider]

A similar drive type, the ion engine, has already been proven pretty fantastic on the Dawn spacecraft.

During this first interplanetary cruise phase, Dawn spent 270 days, or 85% of this phase, using its thrusters. It expended less than 72 kilograms of xenon propellant for a total change in velocity of 1.81 kilometers per second.

That's just spectacular. Bring on VASIMR. Its supposed to be mounted on the ISS sometime next year for testing...but if it works well it can actually replace the huge amount of fuel that has to be carted up to the Station to be burned in maintaining its orbit.

Building a spacecraft engine that doesn't need to set anything on fire like some steampunk anachronism gives me all kinds of nerd goosebumps. Chemical rockets basically self destruct when you use them. These plasma and ion drives can be run continuously for months or conceivably years at a time, shut down and restarted with no ill effect, etc etc. Amazing stuff.

[The Dharma Bum]

[The Comrade]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/10 ... mars_trip/

[The Dharma Bum]

wow That's about what it used to take to cross the Atlantic.

[The Dharma Bum]

And steam punk is totally about technologies that burn stuff. That's how you get steam!

[exploited]

[Spider]

[spacemonkey]

Just think, with the best stuff we have now. A trip to the nearest star would take longer then human history on earth. At light speed, it would take about four years. But ok for putting around our solar system though.