To Mars and back to Earth on
just a 50kg tank and more fuel-efficient than any other: that's the main goal
of rocket scientist Paddy Neumann, from Sidney, Australia. Paddy Neumann is trying to make this possible
with his prototype ion drive. This is not just a dream because Dr Neumann has
just signed a contract with Europe's biggest aerospace company, Airbus Defence
& Space, that will transport his ion drive to be tested at the
International Space Station.
 |
| Image Credits: Edwina Pickles |
Dr Neumann has been working
on a type of rocket for travelling in outer space that he says has potential
for use in making a colony on Mars, and not just that but it can also help in
deep solar system exploration. So how does this ion drive work?
An ion drive carries a craft
through space by means of a magnetic field to discharge ionized, or
electrically charged, particles at high velocity as a substitute of using the
chemical fuel burn of a currently used rocket.
Dr Neumann said:
"It works kind of like
an arc welder. It throws out metallic ions at high speed and just like there is
recoil when a bullet comes out of a gun, the recoil from the plasma moving away
gives you thrust, which pushes your spaceship along."
 |
| Dr Neumann's ion drive at work inside his lab at the University of Sydney. Photo: Edwina Pickles |
This particular Ion engine
is not a new idea. The chief mission engineer of Deep Space 1, Marc Rayman,
told The New York Times:
"I first heard of ion
propulsion in 1968 during a Star Trek episode."
From the demesne of science
fiction, NASA now has used them in its Dawn mission to the asteroid belt and
beyond. NASA's senior scientist in ion drive technology, Mike Patterson, told
Fairfax Media that a new generation of ion engines are being developed by NASA.
Paddy Neumann made headlines last year when his ion drive
obliterated NASA's fuel efficiency record
A spokesman for Airbus Space
& Defence said:
"Airbus Defence &
Space and Neumann Space have signed a commercial contract to fly a payload to
the ISS and operate it there for at least one year with the option to extend
the mission. This is a commercial activity for which Neumann Space pays Airbus
Defence & Space."
