GeekExtreme » Rocket http://www.geekextreme.com So cool, we run at zero Kelvin Thu, 09 Sep 2010 17:53:52 +0000 en hourly 1 To Mars in 39 days?!? http://www.geekextreme.com/science-and-technology/to-mars-in-39-days-9003 http://www.geekextreme.com/science-and-technology/to-mars-in-39-days-9003#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:44:42 +0000 Travis Burrell http://www.geekextreme.com/?p=9003 adastravasimr Well, not yet, but the major milestone reached by Ad Astra last week puts the goal within sight, at least.  Ad Astra successfully fired their 201KW VASMIR plasma rocket in a vacuum last week, which they will implement on the ISS in October, 2013.  The 200KW rocket will use a mere fraction of the fuel currently required to keep the ISS in orbit (0.3 tonnes as compared to 7.5 tonnes currently).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ad Astra’s CEO (and former NASA astronaut), Franklin Diaz, has much loftier goals in mind: one of their VASMIR rockets running at 10-20 megawatts could power a craft to Mars in a mere 39days.  Wow.

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