Particles have alter egos called (surprise, surprise) antiparticles, with the same mass but opposite charges. A meeting between these literally result in fireworks with their mass converting into energy, as Einstein so rightly predicted with his famous E=mc².

Source: www.nasa.gov

Using this ‘antimatter’ as fuel could make a trip to the Moon only a few minutes and Mars a matter of days! An amount the size of an aspirin could power a spacecraft over distances of hundreds of light years.

So why aren’t we buzzing off to explore the outer regions of the universe? Well, apparently it takes more energy to make antimatter than it produces. Only 10 billionth of a gram is produced globally per year (you couldn’t even heat a cup of coffee with that!) Storage is also a problem. How do you contain antimatter when it explodes as soon as it comes into contact with matter?

Researchers at NASA are hoping to have it ready in 30-40 years. Keep repeating to yourself: Patience is a virtue…

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