Children without sex or birth, and interstellar space travel. These are the times we live in (almost).
ยงYesterday was an interesting day in scientific news. First I read that it is now possible to use the Sun's energy to propel a craft through space. This is an interesting idea, and even more interesting are the details of the project. It is a privately funded project and the rocket taking this 'sailing ship' to space is an ex-intercontinental (are you allowed to put two prefixes on a word?) missile launched from a submarine.
A solar sail is pushed directly by photons, light particles from the Sun, reflecting off sets of large mirror-like sails. Because a solar sail carries no fuel and keeps accelerating over almost unlimited distances, it is a technology often pointed to that can propel interstellar travel into reality.
Reflected light pressure will push against Cosmos 1