Prepare to Energize! Punch it Chewy! Warp Factor 9 Ensign Crusher!
Whatever your declarative for interplanetary travel, warm it up, as Mars missions are looking more likely. One of the (many) huge problems with missions to Mars is the huge timeframe to get them there, and then back again. Not only is that a problem for the amount of time in spacem, and all that implies, but also the lay over time. See, unlike say a truck you can’t just launch the return jaunt anytime you like. You have to ensure that Earth and Mars are relatively close together. With the existing theories and engines, that’d mean a TWO year layover. And realistically there would be way to many issues, forseen and unforseen, on the ground to expect the Aresnauts to live during that. At least without having a series of missions to set up base camps.
The big win is that these are looking likely within a few weeks timeframe to get there, and the same to return. The win is the ion engine, built with a mix of US, Canadian and other’s know how. Cool! The big difference is payload, and firing times. Less fuel is used, but shot from the butt of the ship at much faster speeds. Neuton’s law of equal and opposite reactions mean that the rocket can indeed go much faster in the end, using less mass. A win all around.
And fun too; I mean don’t we all love saying “Ion Engines”, even if we’re just making fun of Star Trek techy talk? Heheheh…
Before you engage that ion drive Ensign Crusher, don’t forget about space biology. Sure creative engineering solutions such as an ion engine may get you to your destination in a jiffy, but thats not the really show stopper for traveling to Mars or beyond.
The real trick will be solving the threat of cosmic radiation. With only a patchy magnetosphere protecting the surface of Mars, it would be very difficult to protect the Aresnauts from nasty high-energy particles. Shielding isn’t a practical solution however perhaps some creative techie can develop a plasma bubble to supplement the ion engine.
Until then the only Aresnauts will be of the robotic kind. So to the moon I say…to the moon.