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Title: Impulse Power, Mr. Scott! Post by: Phoenix on 2006-01-25, 18:41 Quote A new design for an ion engine promises up to 10 times the fuel-efficiency of existing electric propulsion engines, according to tests by the European Space Agency. The new thruster could be used to propel craft into interstellar space, or to power a crewed mission to Mars, ESA says. http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn8599 (http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn8599)This is pretty neat. To get a comparrison of ion engines vs conventional rockets, check out this link. http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM3K81P4HD_exploring_0.html# (http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM3K81P4HD_exploring_0.html#) Title: Re: Impulse Power, Mr. Scott! Post by: Lopson on 2006-01-25, 20:07 Impressive. This will open new doors in the future of astronomy.
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