[techcor]

Israeli scientists discovered about 3 years ago that americium 242m a meta-stable nuclear isomer was 100 times as powerful as plutonium and was powerful even in then strips. It was published in an article called "Two weeks to Mars". Much less would have to be used and it would still be more powerful than the uranium.

Another process call "coherent nuclear resonant scattering" or something like that, involves a crystal made from iron imbedded in an iron-boride crystal. When a 60 gauss magnetic field is applied it absorbs x-rays , when the field is reversed the x-rays pass on throug. A light-sail made of this could be charged up and not have to rely on external lasers in orbit. Just a couple of ideas to think about.

[GulliverSwift]

Do you know why it's called americium? Was it discovered or developed in America?