Five Ways to Get to Mars

The December issue of Wired was all about exploration. (Yes, I'm just a little behind on my reading.) It was full of cool stuff, as Wired usually is. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of propulsion systems that could be utilized to help us get to Mars. I vote for ion propulsion:

There are several ion engines on the drawing board. The most promising for a Mars mission is nuclear electric propulsion. Inside the unit, electrons are stripped from xenon fuel, leaving behind a swarm of positively charged ions rarin' to go. A negatively charged grid in the back of the engine accelerates them, creating thrust.
Pros: Fuel efficiency is so good that you can accelerate for weeks, instead of minutes, resulting in high top speeds. You could make it to Mars in a couple of months with one of these babies.
Cons: An engine big enough for a human mission would be a major power hog. One design calls for three nuclear reactors putting out a total of 12 megawatts, enough to power a small town.

The fact that this stuff is seriously being discussed is just awesome! I love to imagine what's possible in the remainder of my lifetime.