So I can own a real TIE Fighter one day?!

[TexasSP]

So a little explanation first. A TIE Fighter from Star Wars is powered by Twin Ion Engines which is the reason it is T.I.E. (granted I know many will already know this info but many will not) While Ion engines are real the move a craft relatively slow but produce power for long periods of time. They can also build up quite a bit of speed in space and surpass rocket engines in speed given enough time to build up momentum. The article I am linking is about a new type ion engine being developed which is at least 100 times more powerful than what we currently have. Ion engines are and have been used in unmanned space vehicles.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...s-to-mars.html

Now if I can just get a real lightsaber!

[J57ltr]

Hell I'd be happy with the cheese slicer lightsaber, kind of like the pocket knife of lightsabers.

Jeff

[What's_nitro?]

When the VASIMR concept was in PopSci a few years back I considered trying to build a small-scale working replica. Not quite as complex, using only a few magnetrons to excite the plasma- which I would make using electrolyzed water as fuel. Cool huh. Needless to say it was going to cost more than I thought. Plasma is hot stuff, and the materials to contain it were not residentially available.

[TexasSP]

Definitely a cool project. It's a little out of my pay grade as well for now. I am just happy we are seriously delving into new propulsion systems. I believe space travel is essential for numerous reasons and not a waste by any means like many think. I do however think NASA can seriously stand to cut some waste but that's another thread all in itself.

[mkrusedc]

Sweet find.

(I would take princess Leah)

[rawfuls]

............


And I thought I was a geek/nerd/dork/insertweirdnamekidhere