February 2024

Interstellar - Thousands Of Tiny Probes Could Be Sent By Laser To Proxima Centauri In Eight Years

     Tiny gram-scale interstellar probes pushed by laser light are probably the only technology capable of reaching another star in this century. A laser beamer powerful enough (~100-GW) to boost a few grams to relativistic speed will probably be available by 2050 as well as laser sails robust enough to survive launch, and terrestrial light buckets (~1-sq.km) big enough to catch the optical signals.

Life Support - NASA Funding Study Of Biological Water Decontamination For Martial Colony

     Water is the lifeblood of human survival and civilization on Earth. It is also critical for our sustained exploration beyond Earth. Mars has plenty of water to sustain our exploration and colonization in the form of subsurface ice. However, it is not clean water. It is contaminated by toxic perchlorates which are a serious environmental hazard on Earth.

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