Ion Space Travel Thrusters

I can see them getting used for trips to mars, other planets, and moons. As I ment "next generation spacecraft" I was refering to space shuttle like craft and you answered my question, that it won't happen.

Originally posted by GoldEagle
I can see them getting used for trips to mars, other planets, and moons.

Jupiter will likely be the next planet that ion engines will get used for, it will have a nuclear fission reactor.

It will not be a fission reactor or a fusion reactor, or any other kind of reactor. What it will be is an RTG (Radioiosotope Thermal Generator), which uses plutonium dioxide pellets as a fuel source to generate heat, which in turn is converted to electricity via standard thermo-electric engineering practices. We have used a lot of these power sources for space missions over the years because they don't depend on heavy batteries or complex arrays of solar collectors or anything else. They are self-contained, reliable, and long lasting and present only a negligible risk in the event of a launch accident.

[edit on 18-6-2005 by Astronomer68]