SpaceX and the future of human spaceflight at NASA

 Above: The reusable Crew Dragon docking with the Internation Space Station, May 31, 2020. Credit: NASA via YouTube NASA's human spaceflight program is being widely praised this week, and deservedly so: a reusable spacecraft called Crew Dragon has launched humans to space, the first new rocket to do so since the Space

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

Putting the “Science” in “Science Fiction” – Space Travel 1: Ion Engine

 Science fiction is filled with high-tech spacecraft that soar through space and battle each other at high speeds. The advanced engines used in science-fiction allow these spaceships to maneuver like modern aircraft in space, changing direction quickly and even performing complex combat maneuvers. The reality of space travel is currently