An analysis of this innovative propulsion system credited to Jeff Greason of the Tau Zero Foundation is provided by Alex Tolley. The method for powering a starship saves fuel by extracting energy from plasma streams in the interstellar medium (or closer to home, from the solar wind) and converting it to momentum using onboard fuel to propel the ship. Although there are engineering challenges, the physics is sound and the savings in fuel enables the system to accelerate payloads to 20% of the speed of light.
Asteroid mining spacecraft under development
An Embry-Riddle alumna uses 3D-printing and partial-gravity simulations to validate the design of an asteroid hopper spacecraft under a NASA funded research project
A trip back in time
A nostalgic view from 1991 brought to you by my old newsletter Space Colonization Progress. Ahhhh memories!
Update: all issues of SCP are now available on the Vintage page
Mining for ices in the solar system
George Sowers of the Colorado School of Mines has published the final report of his NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase I study: Thermal Mining of Ices on Cold Solar System Bodies.
Property rights and space settlement
Does the Outer Space Treaty allow the establishment of property rights for space settlement? Rand Simberg explains that through the use of multilateral agreements among like-minded nations, the accord may actually be more permissive then originally thought
Partial Ownership of Space Resources for the New Space Economy
This paper introduces the concept of Partial Ownership of Outer Space Resources while not conflicting with the Outer Space Treaty. The system allows competition for resource utilization, while preventing monopolies through open ownership and preserving the incentives for investment, thus benefiting all participating nations.
The motivation for space settlement
Here is why we have such a positive view and faith in humanity’s future in space.
Living off the “land” in space
Building blocks for governance of space resource activities
The Hague International Space Resources Governance Working Group announces adoption of the Building Blocks of an International Framework on Space Resource activities
A definition of space settlement
Dale L. Skran of the National Space Society breaks down the term differentiating between individual permanent habitats and the general creation of a grander association of colonies:
“ ‘A space settlement’ refers to a habitation in space or on a celestial body where families live on a permanent basis, and that engages in commercial activity which enables the settlement to grow over time, with the goal of becoming economically and biologically self-sustaining as a part of a larger network of space settlements. ‘Space settlement’ refers to the creation of that larger network of space settlements.”