View From the Bushes

Apparently the first private space flight (SpaceShipOne) was not quite as flawless as initially believed. Still, I think it marks a very important step forward in space exploration. Still, the big problem with space is not so much public vs. private -- it's the fact that we've kind of hit the ceiling with chemical rockets. That was evident with SpaceShipOne, which used a jet to get the ship as high as possible before the rocket engine took over since jet engines have a much higher specific impulse than a rocket engine. One possible answer is nuclear engines.

Of course as I may have mentioned before, the word "nuclear" is as emotionally loaded for some people (particularly environmentalists) as the word "Nazi" is to the world's Jews. Though all serious discussions of trips to Mars or propulsion systems in general always feature nuclear propulsion prominently. I'm certainly not qualified to discuss all the pros and cons of using a nuclear-based rocket within the Earth's atmosphere, but I guarantee that it's not as bad as most people think.

As far as the adventure goes, it's mostly done; just a couple of encounters and the final polish is left, but I still don't have the maps. Hopefully, for all our sakes, I won't be forced to dust off my copy of Campaign Cartographer and make the maps that way. Overall, though, I would have to say I really love this adventure. It's got multiple interesting villans, extra-planer travel, saving the world, exotic monsters and overall some exceptionally clever settings. With any luck the next time I blog, it will be to announce that the adventure is available.

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Ross