Fast forward into the 21st Century and we have the legacies of Star Trek and Star Wars. Even the Enterprise on the first Star Trek show had engines that glowed "blue flames." We learned over time that hydrogen was involved, but the details were never divulged by Scotty, the chief engineer.
According to an article mentioned in a recent ASME SmartBrief, it turns out that NASA has been awarded $100 million to develop a Nuclear Thermal Rocket Engine. Such a project was funded back in the 1960's and 1970's, but was dropped due to other budget considerations. Now the engineers at NASA have a green light, or maybe I should say blue light, to proceed again. The engine will be powered by hydrogen which will be turned into plasma at very high temperatures and expanded through a rocket nozzle. Sure sounds familiar to any Star Trek fan. There are plans to have a demonstration of the engine in 2024. Someone at NASA should contact William Shatner and see if he can be the master of ceremonies and say one of his famous lines to inaugurate a new era in space travel. - Dr. Tom
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