Space.com on MSN

NASA is making a powerful new ion engine to send astronauts to Mars

A prototype ion engine that uses lithium vapor as a propellant has aced its first tests, achieving 25 times more power than ...
Newser on MSN

NASA tests new, super powerful engine

NASA just nudged its Mars ambitions forward with a lab test of a new ion engine that vastly outmuscles anything it's flown ...
Science Daily

NASA just tested a powerful new thruster that could send humans to Mars

A powerful new electromagnetic thruster has taken a major step forward after a successful high-energy test at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Fueled by lithium vapor and driven by intense magnetic ...
Earth.com

NASA tests electromagnetic thruster that may power Mars missions

Earlier this year, rocket scientists at NASA fired up an electromagnetic thruster powered by lithium metal vapor.