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This Asteroid Created a Cosmic Hiking Trail to Mars (and Scientists Want to Follow It)

Wouldn’t it be great if we had a shortcut to Mars?

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In space, you’d think there would be no shortcuts. It’s space. It’s defined by its vastness, its emptiness, and, you’d imagine, its directness. You just have to go from here to there in a straight line, maybe maneuver around a planet or moon or something, but that’s about it.

In reality, it doesn’t really work that way, especially when you have to consider fuel efficiency, resource allocation, and whether or not humans will be able to survive the long trek. That’s why there are researchers out there who are trying to figure out every shortcut they can to ensure a mission’s success.

A new study published in Acta Astronautica suggests there may be a significantly faster route to Mars, one........

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