Looks like the whiz kids at NASA are working on an anti-matter propulsion system, which could conceivably be used to put astronauts on Mars. I like the part where they say that this system would be much more simple - not a word I would previously have used to describe anti-matter drive:
"The most significant advantage is more safety," said Dr. Gerald Smith of Positronics Research, LLC, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The current Reference Mission calls for a nuclear reactor to propel the spaceship to Mars. This is desirable because nuclear propulsion reduces travel time to Mars, increasing safety for the crew by reducing their exposure to cosmic rays. Also, a chemically-powered spacecraft weighs much more and costs a lot more to launch. The reactor also provides ample power for the three-year mission. But nuclear reactors are complex, so more things could potentially go wrong during the mission. "However, the positron reactor offers the same advantages but is relatively simple," said Smith, lead researcher for the NIAC study.
No mention in the article of the timetable for testing and deploying such a system. Makes me think it's still safe to regard it as years off in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment