George Dyson: Let's take a nuclear-powered rocket to Saturn

Just gone up on the TED website:

George Dyson tells the amazing story of Project Orion, a massive, nuclear-powered spacecraft that could have taken us to Saturn in five years. With a priceless insider's perspective and a cache of documents, photos and film, Dyson brings this dusty Atomic Age dream to vivid life.

www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/221

If you like that you'll like this too. It's been up there for a while now though so many of you will have seen it already.

www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/141

Bill Stone, the maverick cave explorer who invented robots and dive equipment that have allowed him to plumb Earth's deepest abysses, explains his efforts to build a robot to explore Jupiter's moon Europa. The plan is to send the machine to bore through miles of ice and swim through a liquid underworld that may harbor alien life. And if that's not enough, he's also planning to mine lunar ice by 2015.

those are some seriously inspiring videos. Particularly the second one. Thanks for pointing them out!

Bart.

Thats intresting viewing alright.....something worth keeping an eye on him and his explorations....id say its weird being so far down rather then being so far up!!

Thats intresting viewing alright.....something worth keeping an eye on him and his explorations....id say its weird being so far down rather then being so far up!!

"this picture is us two days from the entrance" - that just blew my mind. It takes a very special person to be able to handle a situation like that. I think I'd panic long before that.

Bart.