Fly to Mars in ... 39 days

On February 28, AFP quoted Fraklin Chang-Diaz, a former astronaut and physicist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who said flying from Earth to Mars could be lost. 39 days, equal to nearly 1/6 of the current expected time.

Illustration.

The journey to the 'Red' planet will be much faster, if using high-tech VASIMR missiles, which are currently being tested in decades.

This type of rocket has quickly become a pillar in the future strategy of the US Aeronautics Agency (NASA).

VASIMR missiles will use electricity to convert fuel, like hydrogen, helium or deuterium, into plasma gas heated to 11 million degrees Celsius. Plasma gas is then transferred into a gas pipe using magnetic fields to propel the ship. cylinder.

According to Chang-Diaz, the missile will push the spacecraft toward the Moon or Mars at a faster rate than ever before (estimated at 55 km / sec).

The use of ionized fuel also helps create magnetic fields around the spacecraft against radiation. With this technology, the journey to Mars will only take 39 days, while the entire estimated time for a current Mars expedition is about 3 years, including 18 months of being forced to stay on the planet to Waiting for the opportunity to return to Earth.

The distance from Earth to Mars ranges from 55 million to 400 million km, depending on the position of the two planets in orbit.