http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2122034/EPFL-rocket-thruster-travel-moon-1-10th-litre-fuel.html

amazed

Very Misleading title.... Today bulk of the fuel  spent on a rocket launch is that during liftoff and reaching the escape velocity. Not much would change except the Lunar/Sat payload itself occupying larger space than the propulsion fuel.

The Real Phonology that would change the space or moon travel would come from 'White Knight' kind of breakthrough.

I guess the people who posted the article wanted it to "look amazing". 

In any case, navigating a huge distance on minimal fuel, even in zero gravity, is a break-through.  Plus, the overall payload would come down.

dont know much about.  but what about ionised fuel , may be it make difference

Quote from: anwar on April 01, 2012, 01:47:26 PM
I guess the people who posted the article wanted it to "look amazing". 

In any case, navigating a huge distance on minimal fuel, even in zero gravity, is a break-through.  Plus, the overall payload would come down.

There is no friction in the Space. Fuel is used in Space Capsule /Sat delivery vehicle / Probes only when starting into a projectile or correcting/changing the course. You dont need to continuously pull the throttle all the way.
There was another 'Concept' Space Propulsion by using a huge Sun trapping trapping umbrella to absorb energy and use it for propulsion .

In this race of energy sources, there tons of ideas, only few turn into a practical reality. Good that yet another avenue is found.

Quote from: ujjwaana on April 01, 2012, 04:05:21 PM
There is no friction in the Space. Fuel is used in Space Capsule /Sat delivery vehicle / Probes only when starting into a projectile or correcting/changing the course. You dont need to continuously pull the throttle all the way.

I guess that was all implied in the phrase "even in zero gravity".  But a long distance of travel (to the moon and back, or even to Mars and back) still means many course corrections that consume fuel, and that seems to be the focus of this research/development.

It also depends upon time required to reach to moon, in this case its 6 months, so less fuel consumption.
If you reduce the time it will inversely increase the fuel consumption.

Yes but Ion propulsion is the next big thing in space travel and they been working on it from some time(being developed since 1960's)

wait to see further developments.. once airmail was only a dream..!!  but today..?  as we know and can think, that even now we have  explored only a mere percentage of scientific facts.. still amazing..

Second that Mr Roopesh