NASA says Earth to Mars trip for HUMANS to take 500 days, these scientists say just 45!

tech.hindustantimes.com:

NASA says that the period it takes humans to travel between Earth and Mars is some 500 days. However, some scientists suggest that it can be slashed hugely. In fact, they have devised a laser-thermal propulsion system that can make it happen. Shockingly, they say the Earth to Mars trip could take just 45 days. According to the predictions by NASA, the time taken to reach Mars is around 500 days currently, but these scientists based in Canada say it could be reduced manifold.

Engineers from McGill University, based in Montreal, Canada, say they have developed a new ‘laser-thermal’ propulsion system, using lasers to heat the hydrogen fuel. Termed as ‘directed-energy propulsion’, it uses enormous laser shots fired from Earth to power the photovoltaic panels present on the spacecraft, reported the Daily Mail.

Emmanuel Duplay, a McGill graduate and MSc Aerospace Engineering student at TU Delft, published a paper suggesting this could be used in a trip to Mars. Speaking to Universe Today, he said, “The ultimate application of directed-energy propulsion would be to propel a lightsail to the stars for true interstellar travel, a possibility that motivated our team that did this study.” Notably, NASA has plans to send humans to Mars in the 2030s.

However, the spacecraft required for such travel do not exist as of yet. They would require a 32ft diameter, 100-megawatt array of lasers, to be built. These will be Earth-based. For this application, lasers will be used to deliver power to photovoltaic arrays on a spacecraft, which is converted to electricity to power an engine. This idea is similar to a nuclear-electric propulsion (NEP) system, where a laser array takes the place of a nuclear reactor. According to Duplay, his concept is