did we ping you to the "to mars in 3 hours" thread?
Yep, I saw it! I'd like to see what powerful magnetic fields can do to physics myself. I've heard that they have successfully levitated a mouse using intense magnetic fields without harming it.
Irish, the Bussard Ramjet would also depend on intense and far-reaching magnetic fields, so this research could be cross-fertilizing.
I doubt that such ramjets could be used in-system, the hope was always that enough Hydrogen could be scooped up between the stars to fuel the star-drive.
Efficiency is a question, though. That and the proper fuel mix. Most physicists feel that Tritium will be needed for sustained fusion.
I doubt that the typical picture of a Bussard Ramjet would be able to go very fast. It might be able to proceed indefinitely without refueling, but at a cost of going at only a lower fraction of the speed of light. That thus makes it a multi-generation ship.
At least it would permit stellar migration, which is the only insurance program for the human race with a certain feedback.
All of us have hopes for super-luminal speed, but in the meantime, we should still keep plodding along.