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Topic: Now We Are Getting Somewhere!< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
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PostIcon Posted on: Mar. 22 2013, 12:20 am  Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE
Propulsion on an Interstellar Scale – the Quantum Vacuum Plasma Thruster

http://www.engineering.com/Designe....er.aspx
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PostIcon Posted on: Mar. 22 2013, 12:58 am Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE
Voyager I and II are absolutely amazing.  I was a high school kid when they fired up those two puppies!  36 years of continuous operation -- and still going!

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The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page.  -- St. Augustine
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PostIcon Posted on: Mar. 22 2013, 6:53 am Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE
If it hadn't been for Cold War attitudes of "Yah! We beat the Russkies to the moon!" and stopped, I believe we (as the human race) could already have had a viable colony on the Moon and humans exploring Mars.

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Ignorance is curable with education. Stupidity is refusing to be educated.

Those who don't read have no advantage over those who can't.
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PostIcon Posted on: Mar. 22 2013, 8:24 am Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE
I'm a big fan of robot probes, but the $100billion that we have spent on the space station has not produced all that much useful science. Manned space flight is so expensive that there is a poor rate of return on investment compared to specialized craft like the Hubble or SOHO. We have failing satellites that produce important data about weather and climate, but we are having a tough time getting the money to replace them.

If we really wanted to invest in space tech, the next step should be searching out asteroids, rendezvousing with them, and moving them around. Iron and nickel would be useful for building things in space, there may be precious metals and rare earth materials useful for technology, and it is just a matter of time before one hits us.

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"Travel suggestions from strangers are like dancing lessons from God." -Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
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PostIcon Posted on: Mar. 22 2013, 8:25 am Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE
I think it should win a prize just for the name :Quantum Vacuum Plasma Thruster

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Checking out for a while, find me on FB.
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PostIcon Posted on: Mar. 22 2013, 8:25 am Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE
Oh yeah, I would like to have a GBPT engine.

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"Travel suggestions from strangers are like dancing lessons from God." -Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
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PostIcon Posted on: Mar. 22 2013, 8:47 am Skip to the previous post in this topic.  Ignore posts   QUOTE
That's really cool. And stoopid liberals, this could be used like a gun (had to make this thread TPA-worthy).

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When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. - Lao Tzu
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6 replies since Mar. 22 2013, 12:20 am < Next Oldest | Next Newest >

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