Total Solar Eclipse, and Nuclear Fusion Propulsion

Happy Tuesday, everyone! This week’s newsletter is 810 words, a 6-minute read.

Table of Contents

• 1 Big Thing: North America’s Total Solar Eclipse i …

• 2. Cool Stuff You Might Have Missed

• 3. Lockheed Martin Invests in Nuclear-Powered Spac …

• 4. An Awesome Book (and Author) You Should Check O …

• 5. Upcoming Launches & Missions

1 Big Thing: North America’s Total Solar Eclipse is a Week Away

I Usually Write About commercial space launches and news, but this one’s too important and cool not to write about.

On Monday April 8th: A total solar eclipse will cross the continental US from Texas trough Maine. On that day, the orbit of the moon will line up perfectly to completely block out the sun for viewers in this “path of totality”

What’s the Big Deal? You should go out of your way to view the eclipse on Monday. Here’s why:

• It looks just plain awesome.

• They’re pretty rare. Sure, we have 2-4 solar eclipses every year, but most of them aren’t total eclipses and/or aren’t witnessed by humans. The last solar eclipse to span the continental US was in 1918, and the next one won’t be until 2079.

• They might be very unique to us. Our moon is actually abnormally large relative to the size of the Earth - by far the largest in the solar system relative to its planet. It also happens to be the perfect distance away from Earth to block out the sun completely during a solar eclipse. We might be some of the few living beings in the galaxy - or in the universe - to ever have the chance to see a solar eclipse.

What Time is the Eclipse? It depends on where you are. The total eclipse will last between 1 and 4 minutes in each place it passes over.

If You Still Need Eclipse Glasses: Here’s a link to a 5-pack on Amazon. These will protect your eyes since when you look at an eclipse you’re technically staring straight into the sun.

2. Cool Stuff You Might Have Missed

1. China launched another meteorological satellite. (SpaceNews)

2. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe observed a coronal mass ejection. (Space)

3. Arizona named Pluto as its official state planet (even though it isn’t one). (CBS)

3. Lockheed Martin Invests in Nuclear-Powered Spacecraft Company Helicity

Lockheed Martin Ventures recently announced an investment in Pasadena-based Helicity Space.

Unique Propulsion: Helicity is working on developing engines for spaceflight powered by nuclear fusion, something never put to practical use before.

How Does it Work (in theory)?: Fusion propulsion features high-energy plasma guns superheating matter to tens or hundreds of millions of degrees, releasing vast amounts of energy and propelling a spacecraft forward.

Lots of Promise: If Helicity can succeed in its mission, it has the potential to cut down the travel time to Mars from 9 months to 4. According to Helicity’s co-founder Stephane Lintner, “fusion brings the promise of very little propellant, very high power and potentially covering very long distances.”

The Future of Spaceflight?: We probably won’t be using fusion engines to lift off the surface of the Earth any time soon, but Helicity plans to use them for propulsion in deep space. Our current liquid-fueled spacecraft are astronomically heavy, with the vast majority of a spacecraft’s mass dedicated to fuel. Fusion propulsion could change the game completely, lowering the costs of launches dramatically and allowing robots and humans to travel further and faster into space than ever before.

4. An Awesome Book (and Author) You Should Check Out

Author Annie Jacobsen has written lots of books on a variety of topics, including Area 51, the CIA, assassins, and World War 2. Last week, she released a book about Nuclear War, including the history of Nuclear Weapons, where they stand today, and what would happen if a foreign adversary ever used one on an American city.

I’m about a quarter of the way through this brand-new book, and it’s fantastic. Jacobsen’s writing is easy to digest, yet contains tons of first-hand information from the dozens of interviews that she conducted with experts on the subject.

The book has 4.5/5 stars on Amazon and it already a #1 best seller. Check it out here:

5. Upcoming Launches & Missions

Don’t Forget: If you refer 5 friends to the newsletter, I’ll send you a free copy of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s A Brief Welcome to the Universe. Use the link below to share and get credit for your referrals!

Thanks as always,

-Michael