We need a new drive train

Yesterday I saw a tv coverage about the space exploration and his shuttles, satelittes etc..As we all know theoratically its possible to get to Mars, or Europa etc.(a moon from Jupiter) they only problem is the drive train of the cosmic rocket.



this is the todays "edition" but this type of drive train haven�t enough power to transport humans in beeline to Mars or other planets. It will cost decades till a space shuttle receive the location.

For years ago, a scientist ivented a new drive train, a ionic drive..



..this drive is first very slow, but than the speed climb exponential!

This type abridged namely the travel time, but its still not fast enough!

Do you guys have another types of drives? suggestions?...I think we have to fool the time...

regards!

[edit on 16-12-2004 by dacruz]

Everything is differnt in space ... From Gravity to NO oxygen ... There may be things that combust in space off of whatever the heck it is that is occupying that nothingness. Once we find that we will be able to know how to make fire in space. Does anyoen know anything about this ?

so make a Iron drive that is the size of a satern 5 first stage boster there you go all the power you need hehe... But really a Fusion drive might be better. Its kind of a hibrid of a orian drive and a fusion reactor.


the page I saw it on has gone offline but will try to explain it.


duterium and trinium are heated with a microwave antina then moved by magnets into a circular chamber where they are heated more and exelarted up to very high speeds. then a portion of it is scooped off and sent down a magnetic exelartor where it hits a weak magnetic wall in the exost cone. This slows/stops the lead of the plasima stream. and when the back of the stream hits it compressing the super hot plasima so it fusions the rest of the unused duterium and trinium causing a simi directional blast wave. When the blast trys to go back into the cone it cant because of the very strong magnetic feilds. Also there is a freash supply of plasima coming down the pipe. The blast also helps compress the new plasima.

Think you get the idea..

The first Ion engine was on Deep Space 1 a few years back. Anyway it would be impractical to use such propulsion for regular human-Moon-Mars trips as you would only be reaching reasonable speeds after the halfway point or more... I've read up on these. Bigger, more advanced ones do seem promising in the future, however, by the time those come along we may be using Fusion-even a theoretical working warp-drive (who knows)... None of us knows what we will be using 20 years from now...
Breakthroughs happen all the time.

Time will tell.

Chemical hydrogen/lox earth to orbit boosters for orbital assembly, interplanetary drives consisting of M2P2 shield plus Orion drive for midcourse acceleration and terminal deceleration, fission steam rockets for orbital insertion and maneuvering. Eventually the ETO boosters could be replaced with a maglev launcher or similar pneumatic device.