The only change Obama can do for us at the moment is dump the American stock exchange. What positives have come from the negatives it has brought?

A system that can’t improve itself from the negatives is worthless.

No answer from NASA despite sending the designs and video result of the prototype firing.

FYO: Based on a 560 metric ton modified space station and 54 tons of metal fuel for the engines this drive system could place the ISS into lunar orbit and return it to Earth orbit. Takes about 27 hours to attain escape velocity, about 6.7 hours to inject into Lunar orbit, return times and Earth orbit injection are similar.

Dealing with the Van Allen Belt requires shielding the crew critical electronics and solar panels.

How does this link to Star Trek?

Growing up I often wondered why a Phaser beam lashed out from the weapon to target instead of flashing across the entire distance in an instant like a Laser.

Several years ago an article appeared in Popular Science about using the element Hafinium 178-M2 as a “third type” of nuclear reaction to power aircraft, ships, etc. According to Livermoore one gram of the stuff could be “destabilized at the atomic level” to such an extent that when hit by a burst of soft X-Ray afterwards one gram could release up to the equivilant of 310Kg of TNT.

Turned out Hf can be magnetised.

Hence I designed a fictional weapon for a Star Trek story I have authored, but not published yet ,(waiting for you know who to allow it) with the acronyisim P recision Ha (the first two letters of Hafinium 178-M2) S elected E nergy R esponse: Phaser.

The weapon uses a combination of existing technologies: A C02 pellet gun to start the tiny projectile, a coil gun barrel to accelerate it more, a Radio Shack Baseball Radar Tracker to follow it to target and a modified dental X-Ray to set it off. The Hafinium projectiles are contained on a feeder spool mechanism that stores thousands of them. A 123 Systems Nanotech Batteries provide 700 watt/hr of power, capacitor discharge is built into the body of the weapon, maximum 3.6 Kilojoules.

Each projectile is about 1/50th of a gram and contains a small proportion of Hafinium. Atmospheric presence limits the range of the projectile and X-Ray to about 80 feet. Each projectile detonates with about 0.15 Kg of TNT force.

The gun’s onboard computer can detonate a projectile proximal to target (Stun) on target with two or more (Kill) or drill dozens into it (Vaporize). The fiction Phaser weapon was patented in 2016 in my story line, and weighs 8.5 lbs.

I built several coil guns afterwards and simulated the A 123 Batteries with an automotive battery of similar output, and several very nasty looking capacitors. Best velocity so far: 1100 feet per second using a barrel 18″ long. (Crossman Co2 pellet gun to hold 14 modified iron nail projectiles in clip form) I can fire 7 rapidly. Each firing cycle uses three coils out of six that cycle back and forth.

Future effort will adapt sewing machine parts and gears to feed a spool of much smaller projectiles into a adjusted barrel, reduced coil sizes, up to 16 coils, more compact electronics, SCR’s, and optical sensors. The idea is cut the mass of each projectile by a factor of at least ten but apply about 2/3rds of the energy to them as the originial version. (4 coil firing sequence shot) This should up terminal velocity considerably.

Note in my story Captain Sulu’s ship, Excelsior uses magnetic coil tech for thrusters and its impulse drive. Tiny metalic fuel projectiles are used. The engine is a direct result of working out what a Phaser could possibly be.

Nasa’s response to an engine that is already more efficient than its ION drive is typical bureaucratic response.

Of course it is. That is Star Trek’s vision for the future. However, that “coming together” has only occured on a limited basis. Just as the Soviet “Sputnik” launch is now viewed, historically, as a landmark achievment for all mankind, so should any further achievments by the U.S. or anyone else.
It may be unfortunate that we are still divided by such things as national boundaries, the boundaries of alliances, political philosophy, etc., but it is what it is, and the competitive nature resulting from such differences is what drove the pioneering achievements in Space Exploration in the first place. Let’s keep a bit of perspective, and understand that we are still a long way away from the UFP.

The moon project is the most economically feasible. Since the Russians want to mine hydrogen-3, we should also be looking to do the same. This is why to do it. Business. And those who buy the hydrogen-3 should foot alot of the bill. That’ll also help ease the energy problems. We really need a replacement for coal, and standard nuclear has its own problems, so everyone’s going to alter that. Of course, given the stupidity, or corruption in the government, I fully expect that the hydrogen-3 will be sold dirt cheap so the energy companies can make billions and the officials get their kickbacks. Lovely.

As for Mars and beyond, you’ll have to give me a better reason to fund for it in the NEAR future. We can’t even get our remote systems to consistently go there, never mind a manned ship. Then there is the bodily degredation of such a long trip. When someone comes up with a feasible plan, and a more feasible reason; we can consider it. We should be focusing on our enviromental and social problems and infrastructure for now. Space will still be waiting when we’re ready.