Skunk Works Reveals Compact Fusion Reactor Details http://aviationweek.com/technology/skunk-works-reveals-compact-fusion-reactor-details The article above may be one of the most exciting developments in some time, with working fusion power being one of the most-promised developments of the past
Read moreAuthor: Outbound
Orion, NewSpace, and Thee
I am in the awkward position of being caught between two worlds, or at least to others that might seem so. One world, my day job, is providing engineering that moves forward, inch by agonizing
Read moreAstrosociology: The Human Dimension of Outer Space
Dr. Kathleen Toerpe of the Astrosociology Research Institute (ARI) has written guest commentary on Paul Glister’s Centauri Dreams blog, explaining the goals and some of the history of ARI for his audience. I suspect that
Read moreAstrosociology!
I stumbled upon a scholastic discipline that I had never heard of before: Astrosociology. Astrosociology is a relatively new field defined as the study of astrosocial phenomena (i.e., the social, cultural, and behavioral patterns related
Read moreDennis Tito and the Inspiration Mars Plan
Dennis Tito (the first space tourist) has continued his entrepreneurial work on a round trip mission to Mars and back. In fact, he has presented it to NASA as a possible new direction for the
Read moreWhat is the point of this? The NASA Advanced Spacecraft Power program is now on the shelf.
NASA Just Cancelled its Advanced Spacecraft Power Program With an adequate supply of Plutonium-238, and considering the current budget-constrained environment, NASA has decided to discontinue procurement of ASRG flight hardware. We have given direction to
Read moreA Scenic Saturn View
Imagine the vista afforded a freighter captain, approaching a moon of the ringed planet, bringing supplies, or perhaps carrying some precious resource back home for use in the Earth/Moon system… This is gorgeous. The
Read moreThe 12 Lightyear Boundary
Astronomers Conclude Habitable Planets Are Common Researchers working with data from the Kepler Space Telescope have arrived at an incredibly interesting figure: 1 in 5 stars have at least one earthlike planet orbiting within its
Read moreUnited Nations to Adopt Asteroid Defense Plan
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=un-asteroid-defense-plan Earth is not prepared for the threat of hazardous rocks from space, say astronauts who helped formulate the U.N. measures “…The U.N. plans to set up an “International Asteroid Warning Group” for member nations
Read moreOutbound: We Live and Work In Space.
This is Day One of the Outbound Story. Or, at least, it is the first day for anyone outside of my own mind as to the existence of the concept I call Outbound. Our species is
Read more