Could we get to Mars in just 45 days?
Scientists believe with the help of nuclear-powered engines it may be possible.
For the first time in the last half-century, a nuclear-powered engine is going to be put through its paces.
The designs for developing a nuclear-powered rocket that might take astronauts to Mars in just over a month have been made public by NASA.
The organisation, which is working on the design of the rocket in collaboration with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the United States Department of Defense, declared on Tuesday (January 24) that it might be able to construct a nuclear thermal rocket engine that is operational as early as 2027.
The current rocket systems used by NASA, such as the Space Launch System, which last year was responsible for sending the Artemis 1 rocket on a historic round-trip to the moon, are based on the age-old, traditional method of chemical propulsion. This method involves the use of an oxidizer, which provides the reaction of more oxygen to combust with, and flammable rocket fuel, which is mixed to create a flaming jet of thrust.
The proposed nuclear system, on the other hand, will utilise the chain reaction that results from breaking apart atoms in order to power a nuclear fission reactor. This reactor would be three or more times as efficient as the current one, and according to the agency, it could reduce the amount of time it takes to travel to Mars to a fraction of the current seven months.
DARPA and NASA, arguably the 2 best organisations in this field, have an extended history of collaboration in the advancement of technologies for our goals. Examples of this collaboration range from the Saturn V rocket that was used to take humans to the Moon for the first time to robotic servicing and refuelling of satellites.
The space domain is essential to the functioning of modern trade, the advancement of scientific knowledge, and the protection of the nation.
The capability of making significant leaps forward in space technology... is going to be necessary in order to improve the rate at which material can be transported to the moon, and eventually, people will be able to travel to Mars.
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