Sending astronauts to Mars aboard a superfast spacecraft powered by nuclear fusion may seem like a sci-fi dream, but it’s entirely attainable, scientists say.
The physics behind a fusion-driven rocket have been demonstrated in the laboratory, so such a device may well be propelling people on 90-day trips to the Red Planet in a matter of decades, according to a team of researchers working on the technology.
“This is a reality, basically,” Anthony Pancotti, of the space-propulsion company MSNW, said Sept. 25 during a presentation with NASA’s Future In-Space Operations working group. “Fusion occurs in the sun, and also in our labs.”