In non-Mars-lander NASA news, it has been reported that the space agency will soon set out concrete plans to test a revolutionary new drive system aboard the International Space Station. The propulsion tech in question is a plasma engine known as Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR).

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/06/vasimr_plasma_for_iss_griffin_remark/

Via enzed.

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Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR)
Maybe it was consider a part of Nasa Constellar program,tiny force (cannot take-off from surface)but provide great velocity,the 0.1g acceleration for continuos at 10000second will provide 49005km/s or 0.16335c.Because it need time for acceleration,to reached the moon it need a week,mars 2Month and jupiter 3Month(the time for accelerating need's is decrease and speed increase).Power gather from nuclear thermal generated,check the all system and begin journey to mars,jupiter's moon and beyond.optimistic timeline maybe 15 to 25 years from now.The engine is full of potentially of interplanetary even thousand AU flight for human in this twenty-first century.

Sorry, a little problem above,below show the right.
Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR)
Maybe it was consider a part of Nasa Constellar program,tiny force (cannot take-off from surface)but provide great velocity,the 0.1g acceleration for continuos at 10000second will provide 9800km/s or 0.033cwhen arrived at distance 49005km and then,the fuel burn-up and stay with the same inertial speed(except Gravitational interference from other planet).Because it need time 10000s for acceleration to max speed,to reached the moon it need roughly a week,mars 2Month and jupiter 3Month(the time for accelerating need's is decrease and speed increase).Power gather from nuclear thermal generated,check the all system and begin journey to mars,jupiter's moon and beyond.optimistic timeline maybe 15 to 25 years from now.The engine is full of potentially of interplanetary even thousand AU flight for human in this twenty-first century.