Looking to Lasers, Microwaves and Anti-Matter for Space Travel

Space.com ^ | 11/26/03 | Leonard David

[LibWhacker]

That translates into research dollars let loose to fund new avenues for space travel. Last year, a report to President Bush underscored that very issue.

Here's hoping these efforts are fully funded, and soon.

[_Jim]

Before you know it - we'll be building Star Trek class 'replicators' ...

[Libertarianize the GOP]

ping

[RandallFlagg]

Too bad that the guy who builds the first lightsabre will be sued out of existence...

[Consort]

Einstein and all the others provided great small first steps, but we have to get past that and move on. And, what's all the facination with the speed of light?

[sandydipper]

Makes me salivate for younger days - " -- the final frontier". Dave - will I dream?

[Orangedog]

Work is underway to harness antimatter as a way to shave travel time to the Moon down to minutes, or between Earth and Mars to a day. And while they're at it, they might want to consider spending some resources on some kind of inertia dampening system, because if they don't, the astronauts on those space craft will be squashed like tomatoes when the engines fire up.

[xrp]

I can't wait til this baby gets built.

[onedoug]

And, what's all the facination with the speed of light?

How might a vehicle that reflects light, exceed light's velocity?

[PatrickHenry]

PING. [This ping list is for the evolution side of evolution threads, and sometimes for other science topics. FReepmail me to be added or dropped.]

[Crazieman]

It would be so cool if we didn't have to pay for all this war on terror stuff to push ourselves into space.

Unfortunately, the real world takes precedence. :(

[Salgak]

Just hope the Liberals don't win in the end. . .our space-ships will be distinctly Cubical. . .

[Crazieman]

Eeek!

[e_engineer]

The war on terror is cheap compared to the massive social spending, and even the INTEREST on our debt.

Those who fail to support themselves are a drag on the productive members of society, and threaten our future.

This theme should be repeated over and over in our country, until it becomes a public disgrace to accept money stolen from the taxpayers.

[Salgak]

WE ARE HILLARY OF BORG. LAY DOWN YOU LIBERTY AND INDIVIDUALITY AND JOIN IN THE DIVERSITY OF THE COLLECTIVE. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. . .

That oughta be good for a few nightmares. . .

OTOH, when the USS LIMBAUGH, USS O'REILLY and USS STEYN show up, it's fight time. . .and just WAIT for the USS COULTER. . . .

[boris]

"Here's hoping these efforts are fully funded, and soon."

I had a brief exchange with Millis at a conference. I basically tossed the Fermi Paradox at him:

"If any of these schemes were feasible, they would have been reduced to practice by intelligent aliens thousands or millions of years ago. We do not observe their traffic. Hence either there are no intelligent E.T.'s or none of these schemes are feasible."

He was unable to muster (what I considered) a feasible reply.

--Boris

[Abcdefg]

Don't worry about the laws of physics.
We just need the courts to re-interpret them like they do all the other laws.

[dmcnash]

How might a vehicle that reflects light, exceed light's velocity?

only try to realize the truth... There is no vehicle.

[Colorado Doug]

The BPP effort spent a little over $1.5 million -- spread out over seven years

Seems like a bargain to me.

Here's hoping these efforts are fully funded, and soon.

I say just take the money out of The Endowment For The Arts and Public Broadcasting

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!