Nasa develops new rocket propulsion: So people should get to Mars faster

Until now, chemical processes have been used to propel rockets.

Now NASA wants to develop a new engine to get to Mars faster.

Washington DC – So far humans have only set foot on two celestial bodies: the earth and the moon.

If the US space agency Nasa has its way, that should change.

First the authority wants to let astronauts land on the moon again, from there it should go on to Mars.

But there is a problem: Mars is on average about 70 million kilometers from Earth.

And even if this value varies greatly, a flight to the red planet with current technology takes several months.

In addition to the time required for the outward and return flight, there is also the duration of the research stay on the red planet, as

reported

Mars: These rovers and spacecraft explore the red planet

Mars: These rovers and spacecraft explore the red planet

A Mars mission would therefore be an extremely lengthy affair for astronauts - and not without risk, after all, the astronauts would be exposed to radiation in space and on Mars.

Flight to Mars takes a long time - Nasa wants to develop a new drive

But flights to the moon, which are to take place much more frequently in the future, also take several days.

The long travel times to other celestial bodies are one reason why NASA now wants to research a new type of propulsion for rockets in space together with Darpa, a research agency of the US Department of Defense.

New NASA rocket engine to be tested as early as 2027

According to a NASA statement, the first test of the new nuclear drive is to take place as early as 2027.

The plan is for nuclear fission to take place in a nuclear reactor, which heats fuel to create the thrust needed to propel a rocket in space.

NASA has high hopes for the new type of propulsion: "Thermal nuclear missiles can be three or more times as efficient as conventional chemical propulsion," says the Nasa statement.

Until now, chemical processes have been used to propel rockets.

Nuclear propulsion could be "Holy Grail" on the way to Mars

"This flight demonstration will be an important step towards creating a space transport capability for an Earth-Moon economy," said NASA staffer Jim Reuter.

It is planned that the space organization Nasa will be responsible for the development of the nuclear drive.

Darpa is to develop the experimental spacecraft DRACO (Demonstration for Rocket to Agile Cislunar Operations), which is to fly with the new engine.

If the test is successful, travel to foreign celestial bodies could be much faster in the future - CNN is even talking about the "Holy Grail for the fast and safe transport of people to the red planet".

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