esa.int — The European Space Agency is developing a new thruster based on the same physics that power the northern and southern auroras. This new plasma thruster could eventually deliver more power than the efficient ion engines which have been installed on several spacecraft.
Dec 14, 2005 View in Crawl 4
dongiaconiaDec 14, 2005
Cause its about time we stop using that old school Ion Propulsion technology.
oldcyborgDec 15, 2005
Isn't this an interplanetary device? Thrusters and such? I am looking to see FTL approaches myself. This may be the cats meow, but getting to Mars in only 45 days, does not do it for me.....Cyborgya
cantinoDec 15, 2005
Yes, we need more active research into new propulsion! Cool!
jimthetaffDec 15, 2005
"I like NASA's version better" - yeah, pitty they don't know how to operate space craft though isn't it? nasa is fake, the moon landings were fake, and now they actually have to send up real spacecraft, they can't, they blow up.
vision77Dec 15, 2005
It's a definite step forward. +digg
cadmasteradamDec 15, 2005
^starmanjonesi believe you are talking about "pulse drive" in conjunction with a Scram jet.google that s**t yo.
sock2828Dec 15, 2005
just one step closer to plasma guns
x2dxDec 16, 2005
I wonder if I could get one of these in my car.
waj3Dec 27, 2005
Star Jones is a man? Oh my god!
hexmanJun 14, 2007
quote: "Now we're going to go spweing plasma all over our earth? I don't think so. no digg (unless you have an EFFICIENT recepticle to collect all of the plasma used in the propulsion)"Dude, do you even know what plasma is?? It's not chemical residue like the one our current rocket technology spits out. It's just really hot atoms going really fast. Besides, it puts so little real thrust it would only be used in deep space - Its not meant to make the ship uber-fast, just to thrust longer and cheaper.Check this link out so you can better understand what plasma propulsion is: <a class="user" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4527696.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4527696.stm</a>