Despite how I worded my original message, I agree. I do think that the most probable result of this research would be a Martian/Ionian/Titanian rover that could operate, barring accident, for at least a year or longer. I'm concerned about the weight of such a vehicle. I would hope it could speed up travel to the outer solar system by a year or two, but we'll have to see. Unfortunately, I find myself in agreement with Chuch's timetable, for the most part. dave --- Chris Russell <chris@therussells.net> wrote:
I think looking into better means of propulsion (with nuclear being the obvious first choice) goes a long way to improving explorer missions. So, I don't see this as "being at the expense of planetary missions", but rather as a sharpening the axe time, a time to improve future planetary missions.
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