Introduction

First, I will make an admission - religious fundamentalists fascinate me. They have a worldview so completely alien and opposite to mine that to read their screeds that are frequently posted on Fundies Say The Darndest Things is to take a glimpse into a strange and terrifying (and to me at least) new world. These are people that genuinely believe they have an all-benevolent cosmic father watching over them, that He has a plan for the human species. Many of them also believe...

Nuclear Pulse Drives (NPDs) will always hold a special place in my mind. They are a relatively simple yet incredibly powerful reaction drive, and not only that but they have the ability to give the anti-nuclear crowd the screaming meemies because NPDs literally use a series of nuclear explosions to propel spacecraft. It's not as crazy an idea as it sounds - Stanislaw Ulam was inspired to come up with the original Project Orion idea when two graphite coated steel spheres were found miles away after...