Circa 2012 Dilithium crystal created.

Brace yourselves: Researchers at University of Huntsville in Alabama say they are using “Dilithium Crystals” in a new fusion impulse engine that could cut the travel time to Mars down to as little as six weeks, not the six months it takes now.

Txchnologist, an online magazine sponsored by General Electric, talked to team member and aerospace engineering PH.D. candidate Ross Cortez, he said “The fusion fuel we’re focusing on is deuterium [a stable isotope of hydrogen] and Li6 [a stable isotope of the metal lithium] in a crystal structure.”

“That’s basically dilithium crystals we’re using,” he said.