If one of NASAs newest rocket concepts works, it wouldnt just get humans farther out into the universe, it would redefine the place. The space agency is funding a study of an engine based on a novel conception of the structure of hydrogen, the central idea behind a maverick New Jersey researchers Grand Unified Theory. This theory has been derided as a "crackpot idea" and "voodoo science" by respected experts in physics. Anthony J. Marchese, a mechanical engineering professor specializing in propulsion at Rowan University, is getting modest funding ($75,000) from the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts to build and test a BlackLight Rocket. NIACs mission is to take a flyer on wild ideas. "Dont let your preoccupation with reality stifle your imagination," is the catch phrase on the groups website, which defines its mission as finding "grand, revolutionary concepts for architectures and systems."
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,51792,00.html
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