Readers, Instead of sucking up to the political and corporate powers that dominate America, The Daily Caller is fighting for you — our readers. We humbly ask you to consider joining us in this fight.…

The large unidentified drones seen buzzing around New Jersey at night for the past few weeks are “very sophisticated,” NJ Governor Phil Murphy (D) said during his first press conference addressing…

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In an announcement that has raised eyebrows around the nation, Kash Patel recently promised the American public that he would keep both eyes wide open for Deep State conspiracies…

Readers, Instead of sucking up to the political and corporate powers that dominate America, The Daily Caller is fighting for you — our readers. We humbly ask you to consider joining us in this fight.…

Gun buybacks are the government's way to try and circumvent the Second Amendment. By offering money -- often less than the value of the weapon -- for you to 'voluntarily' turn over your firearms, they…

Yet another example of the ill effects of Fake History is manifesting itself. Because Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense in his incoming administration, is a “crusader fanboy,”…

On The Angry Truth, we are going to ask, What's Really Going On With This Situation? This is getting interesting especially all the theories behind this situation. We are going to discuss all the theories.

On The Angry Prepper, we are going to talk about how They Lost 323 Deadly Vials?? This isn't that concerning but we should track what is missing & see if we recognize any of it.

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