Missions to Mars are trendy right now , but there are still a couple of tweaks that require to be made before anyone can be shuttle over to the Red Planet . Something that makes planning for a trip to Mars quite tricky is the distance of clip it takes to get there . There ’s no stopping off at an intergalactic gas station if you run out of Mars bars .
NASA is acutely cognisant of the difficulties that the duration of a Mars missionary station poses and they want to do something to bring down the length of time that distance traveler drop in the dark void .
" mighty now it ’s about an eight - calendar month commission ; we ’d like to cut that in half,“NASAadministratorCharlie Boldentold reporters .
There are tidy sum of reasons to contract the time it accept to locomote to Mars in half . For example , astronaut are at risk of being exposed to harmful radiation and cosmic rays with no atmosphere to protect them in the vacuum of outer space . Astronauts would also suffer less harm to their bodies : zero gravity environments cause a whole emcee of problems for gravity born - and - bred beings . These admit brawniness withering , lengthen of the spine and eyesight deterioration .
Astronauts would also need few provisions , which would make the surgical process cheaper and less bad . The lift - off fuel and propulsion fuel required would also be less due to the reduced mint of provisions . ( perhaps they could rule room for a galactic scrabble set , SPACE -9 detail ! )
These cause are clearly worth halving the duration of an Earth to Mars trip , but how exactly can NASA reach this objective ?
To cut the clip to Mars in half , actuation applied science is going to have to ameliorate . AndScott Seymour , Aerojet Rocketdyne ’s chief executive officer and prexy , has some ambitious destination for the future . The fellowship is cultivate on solar - electric propulsion organization ( SEP ) that currently boast a 5 - kilowatt engine .
" We ’re now trying to get to high power horizontal surface ; that ’s the next whole step , " Seymoursaid . " Fifteen kW would be the next step , and then to cluster them together … then , in the long term , 50 to 100 kilowatts . "
" The limit world power of this type of propulsion has been the king to drive it , " Boldensaid . " Aerojet Rocketdyne has partnered with different entity around the nation in look [ at ] how to get more energy denseness onto a solar cell . The more power we can get , the big we can make the engine and its capableness . "
There are definitely advantages to glean solar energy in space : there ’s a nearly numberless origin of it . On the other bridge player , liquified fuel - powered Eruca sativa have to account for every drop curtain of fuel . " The advantage of using that variety of propulsion , pound for Ezra Loomis Pound , is that it can wing nearly constantly as fight back to chemical substance engines , " Boldencommented .
Bolden emphasizes that he wants a swiftness gyration in space shuttling . Going sluggish is all well and honest for a robot , but when it comes to humans , every second counts .
" You ’ve got to be specific , " Boldensaid . " If I say I want game - changing in - space propulsion , everyone will go back to [ the mind of ] motivate cargo . I want diligence to focus on getting people to move really tight . I think we can do far better than we are doing today , but we ’ve develop to show our commitment by putting some money into it . "
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