Jesus fuck. Is this for real?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Hmmmz. I got the impression it was simply a matter of scaling an existing prototype. What I mean is it's not chasing some technological breakthrough, they just need to build the thing. I'm assuming the math is sound or how'd they secure funding? This aint like one of those "can haz cold fusion" numbers

They got funding for research. That doesn't mean they have a plan that is workable, it means they have a line of research that sounds plausible.

The FDR is one of only ten projects to get Stage Two funding from the program. This $600,000 award will provide the proof-of-concept FDR system over the next 18 months

So, they have a concept that looks good on paper.

Lots of projects get funding for research and never pan out.

I refuse to be pessimistic. This shit is possible, even if this particular project doesn't pan out. Besides, $600K spent on something like this is $600K that isn't spent building drones and killing kids in Pakistan. So even if we never launch a single spacecraft, the project has already saved lives.

I'm not being pessimistic.

Sorry I didn't mean you were. I just want this to succeed. I think we may be facing the technological singularity soon, so despite my better judgment I am low on low expectations.

Plus if we all believe REALLY HARD, the universe HAS to listen right?

One of the inherent limitations to this concept of "technological singularity" that people get so excited about is that, while it's possible that we may soon have computers that can out-compute the human brain, our ability to manipulate this technology will still be limited by the human brain, which we are only beginning to understand.

Soooooo

yeah.

Lots of things are happening, we totally live in the future and we have passed the point where technology is advancing faster than we can predict it, which makes it seem even more precocious to predict a nuclear rocketship that can get us to Mars in under a month based solely on the fact that the project received a tiny little bit of funding for development.

I don't actually understand why that was even reported as "news". It's not news.

[tyrannosaurus vex]

Hmmmz. I got the impression it was simply a matter of scaling an existing prototype. What I mean is it's not chasing some technological breakthrough, they just need to build the thing. I'm assuming the math is sound or how'd they secure funding? This aint like one of those "can haz cold fusion" numbers

They got funding for research. That doesn't mean they have a plan that is workable, it means they have a line of research that sounds plausible.

The FDR is one of only ten projects to get Stage Two funding from the program. This $600,000 award will provide the proof-of-concept FDR system over the next 18 months

So, they have a concept that looks good on paper.

Lots of projects get funding for research and never pan out.

I refuse to be pessimistic. This shit is possible, even if this particular project doesn't pan out. Besides, $600K spent on something like this is $600K that isn't spent building drones and killing kids in Pakistan. So even if we never launch a single spacecraft, the project has already saved lives.

I'm not being pessimistic.

Sorry I didn't mean you were. I just want this to succeed. I think we may be facing the technological singularity soon, so despite my better judgment I am low on low expectations.

Plus if we all believe REALLY HARD, the universe HAS to listen right?

One of the inherent limitations to this concept of "technological singularity" that people get so excited about is that, while it's possible that we may soon have computers that can out-compute the human brain, our ability to manipulate this technology will still be limited by the human brain, which we are only beginning to understand.

Soooooo

yeah.

Lots of things are happening, we totally live in the future and we have passed the point where technology is advancing faster than we can predict it, which makes it seem even more precocious to predict a nuclear rocketship that can get us to Mars in under a month based solely on the fact that the project received a tiny little bit of funding for development.

I don't actually understand why that was even reported as "news". It's not news.

Well, it's based on more than just the fact that a project got a little funding. It's also based on years of research and testing and working prototypes of all of the engine's components, all of which were successful enough to warrant the investment. Unlike the "warp drive" concept that hit the interfeeds a few months ago -- but still needed a little thing called "exotic matter" with specific physical properties to be discovered first, this is more concrete and proven. It isn't just a "wild guess" that NASA is funding to find out more information. It's real technology that already exists, they just need some capital to put all the known elements into a functioning whole. They won't be launching next week, obviously, but its chances for success warrant the new coverage, I think.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

1.  The physical properties of the exotic matter are understood.  They've already made some.  It's also fantastically expensive.

2.  Why the fuck would we go to Mars?  There is absolutely no reason to go into a gravity well if you don't have to.  There is no future on Mars.  It's just another stick-a-flag-on-the-airless-rock thing.  You want actual progress and development, you go to the belt.  And you STAY there.  We've done this shit already.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Basically, this is not really news, it's one of many blips in an ongoing process of development. It may or may not at some point be actual news, but at this point it's really not news.

[Reginald Ret]

Either way, it makes me happy to read and think about.

[Faust]

As a device that relies on nuclear fusion, isn't this drive technically illegal under the outer space treaty?

Only if they were pointed at the earth. So no return journey for those astronauts.

[navkat]

I don't even want to think about that right now

The reason I'm more optimistic about this idea than warp speed is that the boffins seem to know how to do the whole thing but duracell currently doesn't make a big enough power cell.

The way this thing sounds is that massive plugs of energy isn't the stumbling block, it's an engineering issue. My question is, basically, how does their timescale sound? Comedy-unfeasible or realistic enough?

50 metric tons of exotic matter.

I'm not massive but a navkat weighs more than you'd think. Like lead!

Just let me know when you're ready for me to burp into the accelerator.

[GrannySmith]

great news!!!!!
here's a guy from the team that wants to build the engine, talking about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JAsRFVbcyUY
I really hope this one works out..