Ad Astra Rocket Company of Texas is in the final stages of developing a highly efficient Plasma Rocket for low Earth orbit and interplanetar...
Ad Astra Rocket Company of Texas is in the final stages of developing a highly efficient Plasma Rocket for low Earth orbit and interplanetary use! A cheaper way to move spaceships around Earth orbit, the moon and the outer planets! nn39 days to Mars? Sign me up!nnA U.S. based rocket propulsion company is developing an engine that could take humans to Mars in just 39 days, and it has funding from Nasa to accomplish the task. nnA spacecraft normally takes several months to reach Mars. According to Franklin Chang Diaz, CEO of the Ad Astra Rocket Company of Texas, the new rocket engine technology has the potential to be revolutionary. nn"This is like no other rocket that you may have seen in the past, It is a plasma rocket. The Vasimr Rocket is not used for launching things, It is used for things already in orbit, which we call. 'in space propulsion'," said Chang Diaz, also a former astronaut. nnThe Vasimr engine works by heating plasma, an electrically charged gas, to extreme temperatures using radio waves. Strong magnetic fields then funnel this plasma out of the back of the engine. nnThis in turn, creates thrust, helping to propel the engine at extreme speeds.nnNasa liked this technology and offered a grant to the Ad Astra Rocket Company as part of its 12 Next Space Technologys for Exploration Partnerships program.nn"The partnership [with Nasa] will advance the Vasimr engine to a technology readiness level greater than 5 - a step closer to space flight," the company announced in a statement. nnOver a three-year period, Nasa will give the Texas-based company about 10 million dollars to fully develop a new version of the Vasimr engine. nnAccording to the company, they could save thousands of gallons of rocket fuel by using the Vasimr engine, which would save around 20 million dollars in one year.nnFind more videos at:nhttp://www.10reasonswhyshow.comnnFollow Us:nOFFICIAL WEB PAGE: http://www.10reasonswhyshow.comnFACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/10ReasonsWhyShownTWITTER: https://twitter.com/10ReasonsShow Less
