Scientists at Imperial College London propose a spinning ship with artificial gravity to get to Mars.
(Credit: Screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)
“Get your ass to Mars,” as Arnold Schwarzenegger said in “Total Recall.” OK, but if you actually land there, can you come back?
Sure, if you’re aboard an ambitious mission to the Red Planet conceived by British scientists. It isn’t just a flyby.
Not only will you be able to return to Earth after your Martian vacation, you’ll have artificial gravity and magnetic shielding from harmful radiation on the way. Aside from your daily cup of tea, what more could you ask for?
Developed for a documentary on BBC, the mission plan from Imperial College London calls for a return craft to be sent to Mars beforehand. It would then use ice from underneath the planet’s surface to create fuel for the trip back to Earth.
The journey to Mars would take at least nine months and would involve serious threats from radiation and weightlessness.
As seen in the shockingly simple diagram below, astronauts would travel in a 30-foot-long cruise habitat vehicle that would launch on a conventional rocket. It would later separate from a lan… [Read more]
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