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Conclusions
While apparently "one-way", it can be combined with gravity assist, momentum-tethers, etc to provide complete round-trip travel to the planets.
What a dusty sail lacks in efficiency, it makes up for in deployment, weight, and durability, giving a new meaning to the word "gossamer".
Dusty plasma sails may be the fastest way out of the solar system. They offer COTS technology for very fast transport.
Basic dusty plasma physics, and its interaction with a dipole magnetic field still need to be done.
Notes:
So in conclusion, the promise of fast transport through the solar system remains undimmed. These materials are available now, and require no new materials or technology development, they are truly COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf). Experimentation of these dusty plasma materials gives a new meaning to the word gossamer and their integration into plasma sails may indeed provide the fastest travel technique for small packages to Mars, sort of a modern Pony Express.