Sit back, relax, and enjoy your short 39-day flight to Mars!

Franklin Chang Diaz may shape the future of humanity as much or more than the Wright Brothers or Christopher Columbus.

by Rod D. Martin
April 8, 2015

Currently, the typical time from Earth to Mars is about 260 days: nine long months. Viking 2 took 333 days. That's a long time if you're riding in coach.

But Earth to Mars in 39 days? It's not just something out of a science fiction novel, if the Texas-based Ad Astra Rocket company has anything to say about it. NASA just announced funding for the plasma-based VASIMR (Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket) engine, and it may become an integral part of NASA's plans to put humans on Mars.

It also holds the key to making humanity a true spacefaring civilization.

According to an article at DailyMail.com:

The VASIMR engine - which uses plasma as a propellant - is being developed by the Ad Astra Rocket company in Texas.

Their engine shot to fame a few years ago when it was revealed that it could drastically reduce the journey time to Mars from months to weeks - although it may require a nuclear power source.

And following the successful test of a prototype in …