Making Our Dream Of Reaching The Stars A Reality

We sit in the mud... and reach for the stars. ~ Ivan Turgenev

I have always been pro-space. Since a young child, I have dreamed of spaceships traveling the planets between the L5 colonies and the settlements on Mars and the Moon, researching the best methods by which we could reach the stars themselves.

The IXS Enterprise as envisioned by Mark Rademaker

In collaboration with NASA, in 2014, artist Mark Rademaker revealed conceptual artwork of the IXS Enterprise, a subliminal spaceship first conceived by NASA scientist Dr. Harold G. White. The IXS Enterprise would be theoretically capable of achieving warp travel that would make travel to the stars feasible. Currently, Dr. White is currently running the White–Juday warp-field interferometer experiment in the hopes of creating a Alcubierre warp bubble. He is also researching what is known as an Em Drive that shows even greater potential.

The IXS Clarke as envisioned by Mark Rademaker

I do not know whatever happened to our vision of space exploration. Don't get me wrong. I dearly love Forbidden Planet (which by a delightful coincidence today celebrates its 60th anniversary), Star Trek, Star Wars, and the wonderful Firefly TV series, but let's be honest. After we walked on the moon and retired the shuttles, our dream of space appears to me to be just that: a dream.

And now, I wonder what our future does hold. Watching what passes for news nowadays, I fear humanity's ability to dream of a future bigger than bread and circuses has become too limited. I just sincerely hope it is just not too late. With visionaries like Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic), Eric C. Anderson (Space Adventures, Ltd.) and Elon Musk (SpaceX), there may still be hope for us all providing we don't all get so fascinated by the mud on which we stand that we forget to ever look up.

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