3 ms·

How is this news - I have those videos in my favorites on youtube for a year at least. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_FGqb0cr1k http://www.youtube.com/watch?

How is this news - I have those videos in my favorites on youtube for a year at least. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_FGqb0cr1k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_FGqb0cr1k (with awesome scifi sounds in the background) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVsgSjm_vXg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVsgSjm_vXg (also a great sound) I remember reading, when these engines were announced about 15+ years ago, that theoretically they could get us to at least half of the light speed with these engines - and they will. Trouble is that acceleration with them takes time. In the mean time we have stuff like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9m4d137N1Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9m4d137N1Q (since you made me go to my favorites on youtube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn5odETw3Yc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn5odETw3Yc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZGjHeI_hj8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZGjHeI_hj8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjoY_cSmQ70 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjoY_cSmQ70

scott_s 17y ago
It's news because most people don't know about it. It probably bubbled it's way back up because of this, though: Scientists at Ad Astra began tests of the engine's second stage - which heats the plasma - last week.
- biohacker42 17y ago
  It's news because most people don't know about it. And because of that before long it will be news again, and again, and again. Here's hoping the Ad Astra tests go well.
sown 17y ago
True, it has been around for a while...but it's nice to be reminded about them. :)
icey 17y ago
FTA: "Several space missions have already used ion engines, including NASA's Dawn spacecraft, which is en route to the asteroids Vesta and CeresMovie Camera, and Japan's spacecraft Hayabusa, which rendezvoused with the asteroid Itokawa in 2005. But a new engine, called VASIMR (Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket), will have much more "oomph" than previous ones. That's because it uses a radio frequency generator, similar to transmitters used to broadcast radio shows, to heat the charged particles, or plasma."

scott_s 17y ago

It's news because most people don't know about it. It probably bubbled it's way back up because of this, though: Scientists at Ad Astra began tests of the engine's second stage - which heats the plasma - last week.

biohacker42 17y ago
It's news because most people don't know about it. And because of that before long it will be news again, and again, and again. Here's hoping the Ad Astra tests go well.

sown 17y ago

True, it has been around for a while...but it's nice to be reminded about them. :)

icey 17y ago

FTA: "Several space missions have already used ion engines, including NASA's Dawn spacecraft, which is en route to the asteroids Vesta and CeresMovie Camera, and Japan's spacecraft Hayabusa, which rendezvoused with the asteroid Itokawa in 2005. But a new engine, called VASIMR (Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket), will have much more "oomph" than previous ones. That's because it uses a radio frequency generator, similar to transmitters used to broadcast radio shows, to heat the charged particles, or plasma."