Of all the limitations to space travel, fuel may be the biggest. Every time NASA's space shuttle has been launched into orbit, it takes off attached to a 1.6-million-pound fuel tank. Consider that NASA only packs enough fuel for a single round trip to orbit and back, and you begin to understand how astronomically impractical traveling beyond the solar system would be with that technology. That's why engineers have worked for decades to find a more efficient form of fuel. One solution: no fuel at all, via electromagnetic propulsion.
5 Real Possibilities For Interstellar Travel
We may already have the means to make it possible.
Former Astronaut Develops Powerful Rocket
Could this be the rocket that helps us reach the stars?
Key Facts In This Video
The VASIMR rocket works using plasma, a gas that's been heated to temperatures close to that of the sun. 00:59
The rocket uses a magnetic field to enclose and guide the plasma to produce propulsion. 01:32
The rocket requires much less fuel than other technologies. 02:04
Is Interstellar Travel Possible?
Time starts to behave very differently at and beyond the speed of light.
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