Thermal Decomposition of CO2 with Nuclear Heat

A lot of effort must and will be put into combating climate change. We can however directly attack the root cause of it by reducing the amount of CO2 that we have released into the atmosphere.

We can enlist the help of ultra-high-temperature nuclear reactors to do this rapidly and efficiently.

Starship Lite: from rapid Interplanetary to Interstellar

Elon Musk stated that a stripped-down SpaceX Starship could become an interplanetary boost vehicle able to push probes towards the farthest objects in our Solar System. 

What other missions could the Starship ‘Lite’ do, and how quickly?

Actively Cooled Armor: from Helium to Liquid Tin.

We have seen designs for long ranged particle beams and powerful lasers. Could they be the end-all, be-all of space warfare? Not if we fend off their destructive power with actively cooled armor.

Let's have a look at the different cooling solutions, from high pressure gas to liquid metal, and evaluate their relative effectiveness.

Nuclear Reactor Lasers: from Fission to Photon

Nuclear reactor lasers are devices that can generate lasers from nuclear energy with little to no intermediate conversion steps. 

We work out just how effective they can be, and how they stack up against conventional electrically-powered lasers. You might want to re-think your space warfare and power beaming after this. 

Cold, Laser-Coupled Particle Beams

This is a follow-up to the Particle Beams in Space post.

This time, we look at two concepts that can massively increase the effective range of particle beam: one is being applied every day in modern accelerators, and the other is an outgrowth of a tool used in biophysics. 

Particle Beams in Space

Science fiction is missing a realistic and grounded look at particle beams. We plan to do just that now.  

After reading this, you might decide to give particle beams their rightful place alongside lasers as a means of transmitting power, propelling spacecraft or dealing damage at long distances.

Inter-Orbital Kinetic Energy Exchanges: Part I

Electrical power can be transferred between planets using high velocity masses. Kinetic Energy Exchanges are an efficient concept that can output more energy than it consumes and only gets better with distance.

Guest writer Zerraspace (Zach Hajj) works out the details and reveals just how impressive the concept is. 

Lasers, Mirrors and Star Pyramids

Lasers can hit targets at extreme ranges, at the fastest speed possible. They are ideal weapons for space warfare. 

However, everyone knows that lasers bounce off mirrors... does this make lasers useless?

Permanent and Perfect Stealth in Space

Despite the commonly accepted truth in Hard Science Fiction, spacecraft are able to evade detection in space in many circumstances. The Hydrogen Steamer was a design that used liquid hydrogen evaporative cooling to keep a non-reflective surface practically invisible. 

However, it was vulnerable to RADAR and had extremely poor maneuverability, as it was meant to demonstrate how long it could stay cool. This time, we will design a more advanced, functional and performant stealth spacecraft.

Piracy in Space is Possible Part II: Armed Merchants and Pirate Patrols

There's more to piracy than just attacking a target and running away afterwards. 

Put yourself in the shoes of a pirate, a merchant or the authorities. What would you do?