This article discussed how engineers from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory are prototyping a previously theoretical rocket architecture that could carry spacecraft to interstellar space someday. To achieve this, the research team plans to use fuel from the sun to fuel a rocket engine instead of combustion. According to the article, engineers designed the experimental solar-powered engine in the form of a flat shield made of black carbon foam—unlike a conventional engine that is mounted on a rocket’s rear end.
![shutterstock_1539410036 Source: Shutterstock, https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/abstract-multicolor-texture-strange-beautiful-geometric-1539410036](https://dsiac.org/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/shutterstock_1539410036-panorama-506e777a38a9e24c14fe8e9ec1ac8188-606f18b19a072.jpg)
Source: Shutterstock, https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/abstract-multicolor-texture-strange-beautiful-geometric-1539410036
November 24, 2020 | Originally published by Popular Mechanics on November 23, 2020