Slow and Steady

It really does win the race in space!

http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/rocket-engine-mars-trip-100305.html

Strictly speaking, there isn't much "news" here, but its one of the better explanations of the importance of electric drive for spacecraft that I've seen - and puts the focus squarely on power sources, where it should be.

Of course, interplanetary travel is only half - possibly a third - of the battle. One certain problem is getting out of Earth's gravity well - one reason I'm such a supporter of space elevators. :-) One possible problem is the practicality of In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU is one of the Holy Grails of would-be Mars colonizers).

But to quote Robert Heinlein (as I so often do): once you get to orbit, you're halfway to anywhere. VASIMR looks like a good bet for the other half.