Yeah, I thought the same thing.
While strictly under Nasa's care, VASIMR was for years and years a massive tangled mess of equipment, pipes and wires spread out over a large lab. Under FCD's guidance, it's been advanced to near operational readiness.
As for chemical propulsion, it has its place in near space applications. Methane engines could be used for local travel throughout the solar system such as around Mars or in orbit around the gas giants. But it will require high power systems like VASIMR to travel in between those destinations.