Pusher from Down Under
Well, more like a thruster.
Actually, according to this article on Australian IT, it is a thruster. A new plasma thruster developed at the Australian National University is being heralded as a breakthrough in deep space exploration. The thruster, called the “Helicon Double Layer Thruster”, uses solar electricity to create a magnetic field through which hydrogen is passed to make a beam of plasma, which powers a ship through space.
HDLT inventor Dr. Christine Charles says,”For deep space exploration, like going to Mars, you need to use plasma propulsion because it is a lot more fuel efficient and you can go a lot faster.” And, in this case, faster is definately better.
All I can say is, “Good on, ya’, Mate!”