The Little Plasma Engine That Could (Perhaps) Send Us to Other Worlds - The Cosmic Companion Feb. 1, 2021
Light up the plasma engines, and set course for Mars! What? Too soon? We examine an exciting new idea in spacecraft propulsion.
A new concept for a plasma engine that might, one day, drive machines — and people — to Mars and beyond.
By James Maynard
A plasma engine envisioned by a physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) might carry us to Mars — and beyond — in spacecraft driven by the same forces that power solar flares.
Despite the Star Trek connotations, plasma engines are not a futuristic concept. Plasma engines are already being developed for space, but they provide a relatively small acceleration to spacecraft.
Because of this, it would take an extremely long time for these craft to reach significant velocities.
This new design utilizes magnetic (rather than electric) fields, pushing particles of plasma (sometimes called the fourth state of matter) out an exhaust, providing propulsion.
Read more: https://thecosmiccompanion.net/the-little-plasma-engine-that-could-perhaps-send-us-to-other-worlds
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Coming up February 9: Dr. Eric Agol of the University of Washington, discussing his studies of the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system of exoplanets!
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