The scientist allowed interplanetary flights on devices with plasma engines

""Due to their characteristics and efficiency in outer space, marching plasma engines for spacecraft open up new horizons for mankind in the exploration and exploration of the Solar System," Evgeny Stepin, Director of the Space Research and Technology Center at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, senior researcher at the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in a conversation with Izvestia.".

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""In airless space, their advantage is revealed — due to their high specific impulse and operating life, in space these engines are much more efficient and economical than "chemical" engines and allow them to develop much higher speeds, and thus significantly reduce the time for flights to the target object — a planet or an asteroid," he explained.

First of all, this, according to the scientist, can make it possible to reach the Moon, Mars and Venus. Subsequently, the moons of Jupiter and the asteroid belt can also be explored with the help of engines.

At the same time, since space is a very unfriendly place, in order to realize full—fledged manned space flights to other planets, it is necessary to solve a number of technical problems, such as protection from radiation, organization of a life support system, and others, the expert warned.

"And for the operation of the mainline plasma propulsion system, it is also required to provide it with power supply, the source of which is considered, in particular, compact nuclear installations, which also poses the task of removing excess heat from the apparatus, which is a non—trivial problem in space conditions," the source added.

Today, several unique plasma engines are being created in Russia at once. When the new developments are fully completed and successfully demonstrate themselves in "combat" conditions, the Russian Federation will further strengthen its position in the race to explore near and far outer space.

Read more in the "Izvestia" article:

Thirty seconds to Mars: how plasma engines will accelerate deep space exploration