As NASA continues to gear up for its planned manned mission to Mars in the 2030s, researchers are investigating technology expected to allow for a trip to the Red Planet in as little as three days. Currently, scientists are able to get particles moving near the speed of light in laboratories, but that has yet to be possible with large items. "We look at the macroscopic level -- things like aircraft, cars, spacecraft -- we're pathetically slow," said University of California at Santa Barbara physics professor Philip Lubin in an interview with NASA 360. Lubin discussed the possibility of using laser propulsion to cut what is currently estimated to be a months-long journey to just a fraction of that. "There are recent advances which take this from science fiction to science reality," Lubin told NASA 360. "There is no known reason why we cannot do this." The proposal relies on what's called "photonic propulsion," which "would use particles of light called photons to propel itself, relying