16. Do we currently have any propulsion systems that can take us to outer planets? (A K2S Question)

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Human travel beyond Mars to the moons of the outer planets will require very high velocity vehicles to be able to cover the mission distance and return to Earth within a reasonable time. These velocities require propulsion systems beyond anything currently being developed, but within the capabilities of known materials and physics. Human missions require that the travel time round trip be no more than several years. To accelerate the spacecraft to sufficient velocities to cover this distance quickly, to decelerate the vehicle at the mission objective, and then to re-accelerate to return home and decelerate near Earth, all within the allotted travel time, requires a specific power of three to ten kilowatts per kilogram, and enormous specific energy.

Answer provided by John W. Cole


Image:K2S logosmall.jpg Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer


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