In one minute

Millis summarises a NASA project on breakthrough propulsion physics that the agency supported from 1996 through 2002. The project set three grand challenges: propulsion that eliminates the need for propellant, methods to achieve hyper-fast travel, and breakthrough methods to power spacecraft. Because the challenges are presumably far from fruition, emphasis was placed on selecting incremental and affordable research that addresses the critical issues behind them. Of 16 incremental research tasks completed by the project and other sponsors, about a third were found not to be viable, a quarter have clear opportunities for sequels, and the rest remain unresolved. Millis concludes that the work is embryonic and faces challenges typical of any new, emerging area, and records that results are published regardless of outcome.

Prospects for Breakthrough Propulsion From Physics