Propulsion technologies are the key to exploring the outer solar system, and many organizations have been working on novel ones. One with a long track record is the Ad Astra Rocket Company, which has been developing its Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) system for decades. However, this type of electric propulsion system requires a lot of energy, so the company has opted for a unique tie-up for a power plant that could solve that problem – a nuclear reactor. Ad Astra has recently entered into a strategic alliance with the Space Nuclear Power Corporation, or SpaceNukes, responsible for developing the Kilopower reactor, a 1kW nuclear reactor for use in space missions. There are plenty of synergies to justify such a tie-up between the companies, but let’s look at each of their technologies, in turn, to understand why. VASIMR, the propulsion system Ad Astra has been working on for more than 20 years, is a magnetoplasma rocket, a type of electric propulsion system. Ion drives are the most commonly known form of electric propulsion and are known for being exceptionally fuel efficient. They aren’t powerful enough to lift a craft out of a planet’s gravity well, but once in space with little gravitational pull, they shine at long bursts of slow acceleration that translate into massive speeds when engaged for long enough. The problem is they need lots of power to do so. They must ionize their fuel, which requires a significant amount of energy, and that energy is hard to come by when not connected to a power grid. Current solutions utilize either solar panels, which would require a massive area to provide enough power to something like VASIMR, or a radioisotope thermal generator (RTG), which has been in common use for years to power the systems of different spacecraft, including Voyager and Perseverance, but isn’t capable of providing enough power for a viable electric propulsion system.  Fraser describes how ion engines, a type of electric propulsion system, work. Enter another form of nuclear energy—the traditional kind. SpaceNukes has been working on its Kilopower reactor in various guises for more than 10 years and has proven a functional system at 1kW of power on a ground-based system back in 2018. It’s now working with the US Space Force under a project named JETSON to develop a 12kW design that could be used in a flight demonstration. VASIMR scales well with larger power outputs – on the order of 100kW or more could significantly increase the rocket’s efficiency. The only viable option for such power in space is nuclear reactors, so the tie-up between the two companies seems apt. However, there is still a long way to go before a 100kW system would be flight tested – the press release announcing the company’s memorandum of understanding says they hope to have a flight demonstration done “by the end of the decades” and to commercialize the technology “in the 2030s”.  If they manage to pull that timeline off—and that is still a big if—a combined VASIMR and Kilopower-driven spacecraft would achieve the dream of Nuclear Electric Propulsion that excites many space propulsion enthusiasts. It could cut down the round-trip travel times to Mars from over a year to a few months and allow for more and better missions to the outer solar system, including interesting moons like Enceladus and Titan.  Fraser describes KRUSTY, one of the experiments leading up to the Kilopower reactor. Given both companies’ track records of slow and steady improvement, it seems likely that eventually t, the technologies will see the light of day and enable a revolution in space propulsion. They have to keep pushing – like the engines they hope to fly someday. Learn More:Space Nuclear Power Corporation – Ad Astra Rocket Company and The Space Nuclear Power Corporation Forge Strategic Alliance to Pioneer High-Power Nuclear Electric PropulsionUT – New Nuclear Rocket Design to Send Missions to Mars in Just 45 DaysUT – What Future Propulsion Technologies Should NASA Invest In?UT – Exploring the Universe with Nuclear Power Lead Image:Rendering of VASIMR in flight around Mars.Credit – Ad Astra Rocket Company The post A Commercial Tie-Up Bring High-Energy Nuclear Electric Propulsion Closer to Reality appeared first on Universe Today.

Nothing beats acoustic. Today, Riley Green shared a beautiful, simple acoustic rendition of his new Christmas song "Christmas To Me," which he co-wrote with frequent collaborator Erik Dylan. A nostalgic holiday tune about his most special and cherished Christmas memories, it’s far from your typical Christmas song in that it’s reflective, warm and far from a lot of the gimmicky, cheesy types of holiday jingles a lot of artists put out this time of year. Of course, I think everything sounds better in this type of setting where the song can really breathe, and Riley often shares videos like this on Instagram with his songs, and sometimes covers, in their purest form. Steeped in Southern charm, "Christmas To Me" has such a nostalgic undertone in terms of the lyrics, and feels so simple yet relatable as he sings about his mom about to “come apart” because she just found out about his sisters new tattoo (what’s Christmas without a little family drama, right?): “And all them in-laws are showin’ up late For a five star meal on a paper plate The sound of bare foot feet runnin’ through the house The football games just about to start About the time momma has a come-apart Cause sisters new tattoo she just found out about There’s a string of lights all tangled around the tree That’s christmas to me” I don't usually gravitate to Christmas music, and I certainly don't love it, but if they all sounded more like this, I'd probably come around... "I wrote a song about what Christmas was like for me growing up. Hope y'all dig it. 'Christmas to me' is out now." Check it out: https://www.instagram.com/p/DDaEk5gST1y/ "Christmas To Me" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyf38_NqVDY Riley released his third studio album Don’t Mind If I Do in October, and just won his first CMA Award for Musical Event of the Year for the viral hit he was featured on with Ella Langley, “You Look Like You Love Me,” on Wednesday. He should have been nominated for way more, but there’s always next year, I guess… Riley will hit the road on his Damn Country Music Tour next year, and you can check out the full list of dates below. DAMN COUNTRY MUSIC TOUR DATES: March 27, 2025 – Abbotsford, BC – Abbotsford Centre March 28, 2025 – Kelowna, BC – Prospera Place March 30, 2025 – Regina, SK – Brandt Centre April 3, 2025 – Kingston, ON – Slush Puppie Place April 4, 2025 – Toronto, ON – Coca-Cola Coliseum April 5, 2025 – London, ON – Budweiser Gardens May 1, 2025 – Athens, GA – Akins Ford Arena May 9, 2025 – Lake Charles, LA – Lake Charles Event Center May 10, 2025 – Tupelo, MS – Cadence Bank Arena May 29, 2025 – Youngstown, OH – Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre May 30, 2025 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J Brady Music Center May 31, 2025 – Detroit, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill June 12, 2025 – Baltimore, MD – Pier Six Pavilion June 13, 2025 – Wilmington, NC – Live Oak Bank Pavilion June 14, 2025 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park June 19, 2025 – Franklin, TN – FirstBank Amphitheater June 21, 2025 – Huntington, WV – Marshall Health Network Arena July 24, 2025 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17 July 25, 2025 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway July 26, 2025 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion August 21, 2025 – Bonner, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater August 22, 2025 – Idaho Falls, ID – Mountain America Center August 23, 2025 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater

Sen. Marsha Blackburn looking forward to supporting Trump ‘every step of the way’Follow NewsClips channel at Brighteon.com for more updatesSubscribe to Brighteon newsletter to get the latest news and more featured videos:https://support.brighteon.com/Subscribe.html

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‘America First’ KC Crosbie Secures Trump’s Backing for Top Role In The RNC

Based on the classic 1985 children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg, the movie follows a young Santa Claus skeptic on a magical train ride to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.

When it comes to figuring out which is better—a duvet or a comforter—there’s no need to lose sleep over your decision.

One of the most influential guitarists of all time, Ritchie Blackmore first gained the "guitar hero" status as a member of Deep Purple and then showed that he could be successful with his own band when he formed Rainbow. He became a huge inspiration for countless guitar players all over the world during the past decades and was certainly one of the most important musicians of his generation. But what is his opinion on Eric Clapton, another fundamental guitarist from the 60s. What is Ritchie Blackmore’s opinion on Eric Clapton Although Ritchie Blackmore has a deep respect for Eric Clapton and already praised him a few times, he did not always have good things to say about the Cream guitarist. More recently, in a video posted on his Youtube page, the guitar player recalled how they first met and called him a brilliant guitar player. (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage) "I remember Deep Purple was supporting Cream at the Forum in Los Angeles. Funny enough, in the front row I think was Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison sitting right there. Right in front of me, which was kind of strange. Before the show, I think Eric came into the dressing room I was in with Deep Purple. We never met formerly before, so we introduced each other, little bit of small talk. I was always impressed with Eric's, not only ability to play brilliant guitar playing but I loved his sound." "I loved the fat sound he got. So I was questioning him. I said: 'What strings you were using when you first started playing?' He said: 'I was using Clifford Essex strings'. So I went: 'Wow, Clifford Essex!' Immediately after the meeting I got Clifford Essex strings, which I played for quite a while. Then he also said that he took up (other brand and I started to use them too). But I was trying to figure out how he got this great sound (...) And all these strings I used for years (were) all because of him," Ritchie Blackmore said. The embarrassing moment with Eric Clapton In the same video, Blackmore recalled a really interesting story about when Deep Purple and Eric Clapton were at the same hotel in Australia. At the time, there was a lot of noise in the hotel early in the morning. So the members of the Hard rock band complained at the front desk. However, nothing was done the next morning to resolve the situation. Then Blackmore came up with the idea to make a lot of noise by playing the guitar. They bought several Marshall amps, and at 3 a.m., a friend of his started playing the guitar quite loudly to drive the hotel managers insane. But what they didn't know was that Eric Clapton was sleeping in the next room. “We were in a hotel, I think it was in Melbourne, Australia. What happened was, I knew that Eric was with his band in that hotel. We'd had three days there where we'd been woken up very early with hammering – the usual nonsense that goes on in hotels.” He continued: “We were so sick of it we actually threatened the front desk, ‘If you wake us up again tomorrow we will bring all our amplification into a room and play at 3 o'clock in the morning, and see how your patrons like hearing this noise. Which we did. The next day the hammering started as per usual, they took no notice of what we said. So we went ahead and brought in some Marshalls, stacked them, and my friend actually started playing the guitar. He started playing some bad blues, actually." “As soon as he started playing we were so loud we got a bang on the door, and it was Eric's security. Believe it or not, Eric was in the next room to where we were.  The next day we had some words with his security and I said, ‘I'm really sorry, I didn't realize we were next door.’" "That was embarrassing, especially to think that Eric might have thought it was me making this racket on the guitar. I was in there having a drink, but I wasn't playing. That doesn't get me off the hook – it was really my idea to make all this noise,” Ritchie Blackmore said. Ritchie Blackmore not always said good things about Clapton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXUHb_l-1HU Although Blackmore praised Clapton and called him brilliant, back in 1975 he didn't have many good things to say about the musician. In an interview with International Musician magazine, he even listed two guitarists that he was not a big fan at the time. One of them was the Cream member, saying that he never understood what people liked in Clapton's playing. “I never saw what was in Clapton at all. He’s a good singer". During that same year he once again criticized the artist. It was in a conversation with the Creem magazine journalist and future movie director Cameron Crowe. “Couldn’t care less about other guitarists. It’s ridiculous. Everyone plays guitar now. Doctors play guitar now. There are so many guitarists around now it’s unbelievable. I always find it embarrassing when people ask me what I play and I have to admit, ‘Uh, guitar. EVERYBODY plays guitar’.” “But Hendrix gave me a faith in the music scene. And when Cream came along, I thought ‘Well, it’s all happening again.’ Although I was never knocked out with Eric Clapton’s playing, it was competent, and he was copping a lot of the English blues guitarist, and that was a good sign. He had a good sound, but Hendrix was way ahead of him because he could write, hecould sing, he could perform. He blew it from 1970 onwards, though,” Ritchie Blackmore said.The post Ritchie Blackmore’s opinion on Eric Clapton appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.