New Rocket Engine Could Reach Mars in 40 Days

[7redorbs]

Future Mars outposts or colonies may seem more distant than ever with NASA's exploration plans in flux, but the rocket technology that could someday propel a human mission to the red planet in as little as 40 days may already exist.

A company founded by former NASA astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz has been developing a new rocket engine that draws upon electric power and magnetic fields to channel superheated plasma out the back. That stream of plasma generates steady, efficient thrust that uses low amounts of propellant and builds up speed over time.

SPACE.com -- New Rocket Engine Could Reach Mars in 40 Days

[outlander]

I think I read once that an anti-gravity drive could do it in 3 minutes. Kind of makes you wonder if we already have that tech and humans are in deep space as we speak..