A 2010 technical document considered an ambitious idea: using tiny particles to propel aircraft. Among the possibilities it raised was a crewed mission to Mars.
The particles are called positrons. They are a form of antimatter that, according to the document, could provide enormous amounts of energy. But a proposed fuel is not the same as fuel you can load into a spacecraft. The gap becomes clear when you look at what the document proposed and what remains unresolved.
Particles With Enormous Power
The document examined positrons as a possible source of propulsion, the force that moves an aircraft. Under the proposal, energy from the particles could propel aircraft on long flights, missiles, and vehicles traveling into space.
The document also raised the possibility of using them to power onboard systems. Its most ambitious proposal was a crewed mission to Mars. These were all ideas on paper, not plans for aircraft that had been built or flown.
Fuel That’s Hard to Get
Using the particles would require producing them in large quantities. A small supply would not be enough; the idea depends on having enough to propel an aircraft. The document said there was no way yet to produce the required quantity.
Production is only the first challenge. The particles would also need to be stored safely over long periods, and no solution exists for that yet, either. The document presents them as a theoretically promising energy source, but the ability to release enormous amounts of energy is not enough to build an engine or spacecraft.
What Remains Unknown
The document does not explain exactly how the energy would be converted into motion or what it would take to produce and store the particles in practice. It describes a theoretical idea, not a proven, practical technology.
A mission to Mars is already part of the proposal. But before anything can take off, one seemingly simple problem has to be solved: getting the fuel.
