Mars has long been a target of NASA and various space researchers around the world, and believes that the Red Planet could become a potential human colony in the future. Currently, NASA calculates that the theoretical travel time for humans to reach Mars is about 500 days, with a minimum distance of 54.6 million kilometers between Earth and Mars. However, Canadian engineers have devised a new laser propulsion system that claims to reduce travel time by just 45 days. Let’s take a look at the details.
Humans can reach Mars in 45 days: Research
A team of researchers and engineers at McGill University in Montreal Invented a new laser-powered spacecraft that can take humans from Earth to Mars in just six weeks.. Researchers are proposing a directed-energy propulsion system that uses a large Earth-based laser to jet-shot a spacecraft from Earth to Mars.
Using this system, researchers say it will be possible to use lasers to accelerate spacecraft very quickly near Earth. These laser beams move the spacecraft into deeper space at speeds comparable to a fraction of the speed of light. Following the acceleration, the spacecraft will reach Mars over the next month.
“The application of directed energy to spacecraft mission design is being explored using high-speed transport to Mars as a design goal. Earth-based with unprecedented size (10 m diameter) and output (100 MW). Laser arrays are expected to be made possible by the continued development of photonic laser technology. ” Read research papers published by McGill University engineers.
The main vehicle will land on the Red Planet within 45 days, while the rest of the vehicles The spacecraft will return to Earth and be recycled for the next launch..
“A phased array laser of this size with built-in atmospheric compensation can then supply laser power to a spacecraft in Sisluna space, where the incident laser is focused into a hydrogen heating chamber via an inflatable reflector. The hydrogen propellant is ejected from the nozzle and achieves a specific thrust of 3000 seconds. This architecture is within the range of an earth-based laser, but can be immediately reused by a burnback operation to return the propulsion unit. Is shown. “ I will add more.
For those who do not know, this reduced travel time can be achieved using fission-powered rockets, but it carries the risk of radiation. This new system seems to solve this problem.
This sounds like a viable system for reaching Mars and exploring other deep space regions of our universe, but there is currently no spacecraft to test this theory. ..
Elon Musk believes humans can reach Mars in the next six years, but NASA and China aim to send humans to the red planet by the 2030s. Therefore, researchers and engineers can be expected to develop and build spacecraft to support laser-based directed energy propulsion systems and work on this technology. What do you think about this? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
