We recently completed the 40th run of our P0 testbed—a small-scale version of the LM26 compression system. With P0’s positive results, we’re now procuring parts for LM26’s full-scale compression system to reach pivotal milestones—1 keV, 10 keV & scientific breakeven equivalent.

When you touch a fluorescent lightbulb, it is somewhat warm to the touch. Yet the electrons in the gas inside the bulb are at 11,000 K.

New things to play with on the website!

Let there be light ☀️ reflectorbital.com

Ok last time I posted a thread about making antimatter, now let's talk about using it in a rocket! Antimatter rocket concepts cover the full gamut in performance from launchers off Earth to interstellar speed machines and everything in between! 1/22

I have much to learn about magnetohydrodynamics, but thanks to a PhD student gifted in theory and numerics, we’ve made a start…and hopefully a contribution. pubs.aip.org/aip/pof/articl…

Family trip through the Canadian Rockies as we bring our son to start his university studies in Kelowna, British Columbia.

Please share your favorite examples of absolutely terrible graphs/figures (misleading, confusing, aesthetically abhorrent, etc). Need examples for a class lecture.

He can pump energy into his swing until he goes over the top. But after that, could he continue to pump energy into clockwise rotation and go around faster and faster?

Andrew Higgins Good thread. Thank you. My mental yardstick is that an RL10, a ‘small’ rocket engine about the size of an oil drum, is a quarter-gigawatt device. So, one hydroelectric dam is about 10x RL10s. It really puts into perspective the power density in rocketry.

Ok, now going to be spending the rest of the afternoon trying to model this result using the reduced mass of impact dynamics in the kinetic theory of gases to explain the energy transfer from one vehicle to the other...

September 1: It begins. #Laurentians

Pending some final approvals, our Aerospace major will start in Fall 2025. We are busy developing the course details for this exciting new program at Michigan Tech . We are hiring 4 tenure track positions (open rank) and 1 instructional track faculty. Please join us for