Scientists Suggest Sending Astronauts to Mars Using Lasers
Scientists from McGill University in Canada have invented the concept of the laser catapult, which will help astronauts get to Mars in just 45 days. However, scientists do not yet know how to slow the spacecraft down once it arrives at its destination.
Scientists from McGill University in Canada have invented the concept of the laser catapult, which will help astronauts get to Mars in just 45 days. However, scientists do not yet know how to slow the spacecraft down once it arrives at its destination, ScenceAlert reports. The corresponding study was submitted to the journal Astronomy & Astronomy.
According to this idea, a laser-thermal propulsion system consisting of a single 10-m wide, 100 MW laser array should be built. This system will then send a laser beam to the spacecraft in Earth's orbit. A reflector mounted on it will direct the beam into a heating chamber with hydrogen fuel.
When the temperature rises, the fuel will be ejected through a nozzle and create thrust, making it possible for the spacecraft to push off the Earth and accelerate to 17 kilometers per second.