Riding a beam of plasma to Mars may be possible

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Riding a beam of plasma to Mars may be possible
by: NASA 5/6/05

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Animation of Magbeam system. Photo credit: U. of Washington/Robert Winglee.

With conventional rockets, a roundtrip to Mars could last as long as three years, because an extended stay is required while the orbits of Earth and Mars align again for the return trip.

But an exciting NASA-funded research project could send astronauts racing to Mars up to six times faster. The solution -- proposed by Dr. Robert Winglee of the University of Washington -- sounds like science fiction. A spacecraft rides a beam of plasma, which is electrified and magnetized gas, all the way to Mars and back.

The roundtrip journey could be wrapped up in about 90 days using Winglee's Magnetized Beam Plasma Propulsion system, dubbed Magbeam.