Into the Future

Herein we consider the cost of getting to space and contemplate the value of sending people there. Thereafter we examine other propulsion systems—things that are still rockets but are certainly not chemical rocket motors . Some of those are already in everyday use, some will exist one day and some probably never will but are still areas of active study because they just might take us to the stars. We’ll look at what might be required for interstellar travel before considering a propulsion concept that could possibly achieve it, albeit without rockets. Finally we will indulge ourselves with a quick stroll through a few flights of fancy pertaining to the wilder fringes of space travel after rockets.