VASIMR won't get a ship into Earth orbit, but it looks promising for everything beyond.
The VAriable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR®) is a new type of electric thruster with many unique advantages. In a VASIMR®, gas such as argon, xenon, or hydrogen is injected into a tube surrounded by a magnet and a series of two radio wave (RF) antennas (called "couplers" in this context). The couplers turn cold gas into superheated plasma and the expanding magnetic field at the end of the rocket (the magnetic nozzle) converts the plasma particles' thermal motion into directed flow.
SWEET!!! I'M IN!
Let's go to Mars!
C'mon! If we can spend trillions on wars and bailing out asshole banks, we can surely spare the billions it'll take to pay for a mission to Mars!!
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