The exceptional performance of the PPR, combining high [specific impulse] and high thrust, holds the potential to revolutionize space exploration... manned missions to Mars to be completed within a mere two months,â NASA said.
As well as slashing travel time to neighboring planets, PPR promises to support the transport of much heavier spacecraft, which can benefit from shielding against galactic cosmic rays, allowing space travelers to spend longer periods outside Earth's protective dome.
The main topics included: assessing the neutronics of the system, designing the spacecraft, power system, and necessary subsystems, analyzing the magnetic nozzle capabilities, and determining trajectories... Phase II will build upon these assessments and further the PPR concept,â NASA said.
Other researchers are exploring plasma as a viable means of space propulsion. Scientists at the George Washington University (GWU) and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory are looking at how satellites might be capable of generating their own thrust.
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