09 October 2009
holy shit, we're almost THERE!
This plasma engine will cut the need for massive amounts of fuel, taking down the current consumption of 7.5 tons of propellant per year—used in the shuttle and other spaceships—down to 0.3 tons. It will also be extremely fast, cutting down the travel to Mars from six months to just 39 days.
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Plasma, or ion engines uses radio waves to heat gases such as hydrogen, argon, and neon, creating hot plasma. Magnetic fields force the charged plasma out the back of the engine, producing thrust in the opposite direction.
They provide much less thrust at a given moment than do chemical rockets, which means they can't break free of the Earth's gravity on their own. Plus, ion engines only work in a vacuum. But once in space, they can give a continuous push for years, like wind pushing a sailboat, accelerating gradually until the vehicle is moving faster than chemical rockets. They only produce a pound of thrust, but in space that's enough to move 2 tons of cargo.
teh sound is magnificent, teh colour is mesmerizing, this is teh HD of rocket engines :D
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