New rocket engine should enable a 37-day journey to Mars

Scientists claim to have found a way to build a rocket that can cover distances significantly faster than conventional rockets. For example, a space trip to Mars does not have to take longer than 37 days.

The research was done by NASA in collaboration with scientists at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. They claim to have designed a new concept for a fast rocket: compared to conventional technology, their approach would lead to a threefold increase in speed. This means that a trip to Mars can be completed in 37 days, according to the scientists.

The new missile must be built on the basis of a so-called Pulsed Fission Fusion propulsion system. This entails more or less a hybrid construction, using both nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. A nuclear fission reaction in depleted uranium should initiate a nuclear fusion reaction in a plasma mixture of deuterium and tritium, which is located in the core of the rocket engine, ultimately releasing energy. While the ignition is progressing, the cleavage reaction also ensures that a more complete fusion reaction takes place: so there is a form of synergy between the two reactions. The nuclear reactions are surrounded by a column of lithium, which has to ensure that the ignition takes place gradually.

It is not known when such a missile can be built and deployed. The scientists have only explained in one publication how such a system might work. This means that an application in practice will probably take a while.