The October 2023 issue of IEEE Spectrum is here!

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Costa Rica's Radical Rocket

Getting to Mars' or anywhere else in the solar system-may be easier with Ad Astra Rocket Co.'s plasma thruster

0 min read

Photo: Randi Silberman
TAKING CHARGE: Diana Valverde, an electrical engineer, oversees the control systems for the thruster. During a test run, she checks the temperatures of the materials, the RF power levels, and keeps an eye on the pressure in the chamber. "I turn on the magnets and the gas injection system, and then finally hit the pulse," Valverde says. A pulse can last for a few seconds or run for several hours, depending on the experiment.
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back view of man in baseball cap holding controllers for robot arms, which are in silhouette in front of him, just outside of the shadows

Video Friday: Good Behaviors

3 min read