Putting the "Science" in "Science Fiction" – Space Travel 4: Artificial Gravity

 Science fiction is so filled with starship crews walking and running around their vessels… it is easy to forget that in reality astronauts spend their time in space weightless. Although floating around inside a spacecraft may be enjoyable, long-term weightlessness has many negative effects on human health. Long periods of

Putting the “Science” in “Science Fiction” – Space Travel 3: Other Potential Engines

 In the previous two blogs in this series, I examined ion engines and plasma engines – two technologies that have a great deal of potential for powering the spacecraft of the future. Although these two engine types attract a great deal of attention and research, a wide range of other

Putting the “Science” in “Science Fiction” – Space Travel 2: Plasma Engine

 In my previous blog, I wrote about the ion engine, one of the main avenues of research into alternative methods of space flight. There has been a great deal of research into ion engines, but scientists are examining other technologies that would allow “warp drive” interplanetary and interstellar travel. One