Space experts want to send 11,000mph rockets to Mars.
European Space Agency (ESA) boffins are researching “aerocapture”, a process that will see spaceships set off for the Red Planet without the fuel required to slow them down on arrival.
The rockets will instead head straight for the Martian atmosphere and will have their speed reduced via a parachute.
A statement from the ESA read: “We are venturing towards putting a spacecraft into orbit around Mars using a technique that engineers have studied for over half a century.
“This idea, known as ‘aerocapture’, is not a new one. It has been tempting engineers since the mid-1960s for two main reasons.
“Firstly, it would reduce the amount of propellant that the spacecraft needs to carry. Secondly, it would mean that we could choose to arrive at a planet with a higher speed, cutting cruise time.”
