This episode feature Mass Drivers, Space Guns, and other means of rapidly accelerating a spaceship up to orbital speeds without a rocket. We will explore the basic concepts, the engineering issues, and the potential cost & safety advantages & disadvantages along with how these devices can be used in tandem with other systems we have looked at.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/KerG4ILWEa4

Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
Support the Channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
Visit the sub-reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/
Cover Art by Jakub Grygier: https://www.artstation.com/artist/jakub_grygier

Mass Drivers (Narration Only)

While potentially dangerous, nuclear powered spacecraft offer far faster and more efficient spacecraft than traditional chemical rockets. Today we will examine the various means of using atomic power sources to propel spacecraft, bot to get off Earth and to travel to other stars.

See the video version: https://youtu.be/3aBOhC1c6m8

Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
Support the Channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
Visit the sub-reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/
Cover Art by Jakub Grygier: https://www.artstation.com/artist/jakub_grygier

The Nuclear Option (Narration Only)

We return to the Moon to explore ways to go beyond simple Lunar Bases to a full-fledged productive colony that can help us travel to other worlds and expand our own.

Watch the Video: https://youtu.be/bGcvv3683Os

Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
Support the Channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
Visit the sub-reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/

Season 3, episode 20
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur

Cover Art:
Jakub Grygier
https://www.artstation.com/artist/jakub_grygier

Graphics Team:
Jarred Eagley
Katie Byrne
Misho Yordanov
Murat Mamkegh
Sergio Botero
Stefan Blandin

Script Editing:
Andy Popescu
Connor Hogan
Edward Nardella
Eustratius Graham
Gregory Leal
Jefferson Eagley
Luca de Rosa
Michael Gusevsky
MolbOrg
Naomi Kern
Philip Baldock
Sigmund Kopperud
Steve Cardon
Tiffany Penner

Music:
Dexter Britain, "Seeing the Future"
Markus Junnikkala, "A Memory of Earth"
Dan McLeod, "Mysterious Universe"
Sergey Cheremisinov, "Labyrinth"
Kai Engel, "December"
Dan McLeod, "Calculations"
Brandon Liew, "Into the Storm"

Industrializing the Moon

The Launch Loop is a type of space vehicle launch assist mechanism that allows us to transfer vast amounts of energy and  momentum from ground based generators to a launch vehicle high in the upper atmosphere.

Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/J1MAg0UAAHg

View Lofstrom's 2009 updated paper:
http://slides.launchloop.com//launchloop.pdf

Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
Support the Channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
Visit the sub-reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/
Cover Art by Jakub Grygier: https://www.artstation.com/artist/jakub_grygier

Graphics Team:
Jarred Eagley
Katie Byrne
Misho Yordanov
Murat Mamkegh
Sergio Botero
Stefan Blandin


Script Editing:
Andy Popescu
Connor Hogan
Edward Nardella
Eustratius Graham
Gregory Leal
Jefferson Eagley
Luca de Rosa
Michael Gusevsky
Mitch Armstrong
MolbOrg
Naomi Kern
Philip Baldock
Sigmund Kopperud
Steve Cardon
Tiffany Penner

Launch Loops (Narration Only)

We return to the Upward Bound Series to look at spaceports, giant structures dwarfing the modern International Space Station, with a focus on the Gateway Spaceport design.

Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/TmLWxptFFYc

If you want to help out the Gateway Foundation or get notifications: https://www.krowdster.co/l/e60b#
Learn more about the Spaceport and see more of the Gateway Foundation's designs: http://orbitalassembly.com or http://gatewayspaceport.com

Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
Support the Channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
To help us grow your SFIA community, follow https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur on Twitter and RT our future content.
Visit the sub-reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/
Cover Art by Jakub Grygier: https://www.artstation.com/artist/jakub_grygier

Technical Consultants
Dr. Thomas Spilker
John Blincow
Kit Carson
Rod Pyle

Script Editors
Andy P
Kit Carson
Matthew Acker
Sigmund Kopperud (Wicked Woxel)
Keith Blockus

Cover Art
Jakub Grygier

Graphics Team:
Edward Nardella
Jarred Eagley
Justin Dixon
Katie Byrne
Kris Holland of Mafic Stufios: www.maficstudios.com
Misho Yordanov
Pierre Demet
Sergio Botero: https://www.artstation.com/sboterod?fref=gc
Stefan Blandin

Spaceports (Narration Only)

To explore space and expand beyond Earth we will need a robust orbital infrastructure to serve as our beachhead. Today we will explore the necessary components for that, how we will go about creating them, and threats to them like Kessler Syndrome, a potential cascade destruction of all our space-based assets.

Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/HkU85zKxK-s

Support the Gateway Foundation Drones for Space Operations on Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/522593384/drones-for-space-operations
Learn more about the Gateway Foundation at: 
http://gatewayspaceport.com/the-gateway/how-to-build/
or http://orbitalassembly.com

https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur on Twitter and RT our future content.
Visit the sub-reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/
Listen or Download the audio of this episode from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/isaac-arthur-148927746/orbital-infrastructure
Cover Art by Jakub Grygier: https://www.artstation.com/artist/jakub_grygier

Technical Consultants:
Dr. Thomas Spilker
John Blincow
Kit Carson
Rod Pyle

Script Editors:
Darius Said
Keith Blockus
Kit Carson
Matthew Acker
MolbOrg
Sigmund Kopperud (Wicked Woxel)

Cover Art:
Jakub Grygier

Graphics Team:
Edward Nardella
Jeremy Jozwik
Jarred Eagley
Justin Dixon
Jeremy Jozwik
Katie Byrne
Kris Holland
Luuk Warringa
Mihail Yordanov
Murat Mamkegh
Nick Talmers Nieuwoudt
Pierre Demet
Sergio Botero
Stefan Blandin

Music Arranged by:
Luca DeRosa

Music
Sergey Cheremisinov, "Sirius"
Brandon Liew, "Floating Through Space Electronic Sci-fi"
NJ Mandaville, "Swell"
NJ Mandaville, "Swell" (alternate version)
Dexter Britain, "In The Electric Fields"
Dexter Britain, "Forced Through Time"
Chris Zabriskie, "The Temperature of the Air on the Bow of the Kaleetan"
Ross Bugden, "Parallel"
Ross Bugden, "Ascension"
Ross Bugden, "Dragon Slayer"

Orbital Infrastructure (Narration Only)

Black Holes are amongst the most destructive things in the Universe, but it may be that properly utilized, they might be the best places in the galaxy to live around in the future, and possibly right here in our own solar system too.
Check out the Paperclip Maximizer: https://watchnebula.com/isaacarthur
Visit our sponsor, Brilliant: https://brilliant.org/IsaacArthur/
Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
SFIA Merchandise available: https://www.signil.com/sfia/

Social Media:
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur on Twitter and RT our future content.
SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE

Credits:
Outward Bound: Colonizng Black Holes
Episode 187, Season 5 E21

Written by:
Isaac Arthur
Jerry Guern

Editors:
Darius Said
Keith Blockus
Matthew Acker
S. Kopperud

Cover Art:
Jakub Grygier https://www.artstation.com/jakub_grygier

Graphics by:
Bryan Versteeg http://spacehabs.com
Fishy Tree https://www.deviantart.com/fishytree/
Jeremy Jozwik https://www.artstation.com/zeuxis_of_losdiajana
Justin Dixon
Ken York https://www.facebook.com/YDVisual/
Sergio Botero https://www.artstation.com/sboterod?fref=gc

Produced & Narrated by:
Isaac Arthur

Music Manager:
Luca DeRosa - lucaderosa2@live.com

Music:
Markus Junnikkala, "Hail the Victorious Dead" https://www.markusjunnikkala.com/
Aerium, "The islands moved while I  was asleep" https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRnUJY3l5vIJFGsY3XvW4dQ
Lombus, "Amino" https://lombus.bandcamp.com
Stellardrone, "Ultra Deep Field" https://stellardrone.bandcamp.com
Kai Engel, "Endless Story About Sun and Moon"  https://www.kai-engel.com/
Evan King, "Singularity" https://evanking.bandcamp.com/

Colonizing Black Holes (Narration Only)

Natural disasters can topple civilizations, even in modern times, but with more and more technology civilizations become more robust and capable of predicting future calamities and preventing such ruin. So what other threats face spacefaring civilizations, both at the interplanetary and interstellar scale?

Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/Y-CrHiiN0fI
Visit our sponsor, Brilliant: https://brilliant.org/IsaacArthur/
Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
SFIA Merchandise available: https://www.signil.com/sfia/

Social Media:
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur on Twitter and RT our future content.
SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE

Credits:
Threats to Interplanetary & Interstellar Civilizations
Episode 197, Season 5 E32

Written by:
Isaac Arthur

Editors:
Darius Said
Jerry Guern
Keith Blockus
Stuart Graham
Matt Campbell

Cover Art:
Jakub Grygier

Graphics by:
Bryan Versteeg
Fishy Tree
Jarred Eagley
Jeremy Jozwik
Ken York
Sergio Botero

Produced & Narrated by:
Isaac Arthur

Music Manager:
Luca DeRosa

Music:
Paradox Interactive, "The Titan" 
Kai Engel, "Endless Story About Sun and Moon" 
Lombus, "Hydrogen Sonata" 
Aerium, "Waters of Atlantis" 
Stellardrone, "Crystal Spheres" 
Marcus Warner, "The First Few Waves" 
Epic Mountain, "Space Travel"

Threats to Interplanetary & Interstellar Civilizations (Narration Only)

Venus is a desolate scorching world on which no life can exist. Yet if it can be cooled down, there is no other planet we know of more suitable for terraforming and colonization. We will examine methods of cooling Venus down and preparing it to be settled in the future.

Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/mtTLj0E9ODc
Visit our sponsor, Brilliant: https://brilliant.org/IsaacArthur/
Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
SFIA Merchandise available: https://www.signil.com/sfia/

Social Media:
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur on Twitter and RT our future content.
SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE

Credits:
Winter on Venus
Episode 207, Season 5 E41

Written by:
Isaac Arthur

Editors:
Darius Said
Jerry Guern
S. Kopperud

Cover Art
Jakub Grygier https://www.artstation.com/jakub_grygier

Graphics by
Jarred Eagley
Jeremy Jozwik https://www.artstation.com/zeuxis_of_losdiajana
Kris Holland (Mafic Studios) www.maficstudios.com
Kristijan Tavcar https://www.miragedereve.com
Sam McNamara of Rapid Thrash
Sergio Botero https://www.artstation.com/sboterod?fref=gc
Tristan3D

Produced & Narrated by
Isaac Arthur

Music Manager
Luca DeRosa - lucaderosa2@live.com

Music:
Markus Junnikkala, "Hail the Victorious Dead" https://www.markusjunnikkala.com/
Aerium, "The Islands moved while I was asleep" https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRnUJY3l5vIJFGsY3XvW4dQ
Dan MacLeod, "Lucky" https://soundcloud.com/neptuneuk
Markus Junnikkala, "The Men Would love a good fight" https://www.markusjunnikkala.com/
Lombus, "Doppler Shores" https://lombus.bandcamp.com
Paradox Interactive, "In Search of Life" https://www.paradoxplaza.com
Ross Bugden, "Revelation" https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQKGLOK2FqmVgVwYferltKQ

Winter On Venus (Narration Only)

Science fiction often shows us seemingly benevolent aliens whose UFOs come in peace then turn out to have sinister motives and hidden conspiracies, but what would a genuinely friendly group of extraterrestrials be like?

Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/xWcEXBikPgw
The first 1000 people who click the link in the description will get 2 free months of Skillshare Premium: https://skl.sh/isaacarthur17
Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
SFIA Merchandise available: https://www.signil.com/sfia/

Social Media:
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur on Twitter and RT our future content.
SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE

Listen or Download the audio of this episode from Soundcloud: Episode's Audio-only version: https://soundcloud.com/isaac-arthur-148927746/benevolent-aliens
Episode's Narration-only version: https://soundcloud.com/isaac-arthur-148927746/benevolent-aliens-narration-only

Credits:
Alien Civilizations: Conspiratorial Aliens
Episode 240, Season 6 E22

Written by:
Isaac Arthur

Editors:
Darius Said
Jerry Guern
Keith Blockus
Matthew Campbell

Cover Art:
Jakub Grygier https://www.artstation.com/jakub_grygier

Graphics by:
Jeremy Jozwik https://www.artstation.com/zeuxis_of_losdiajana
Ken York https://www.facebook.com/YDVisual/
LegionTech Studios https://hades9.com

Music:
Martin Rezny, "Lifelight" https://soundcloud.com/martin-re-n-1
Aerium, "Waters of Atlantis" https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRnUJY3l5vIJFGsY3XvW4dQ
AJ Prasad of Dark Future, "Cold Shadow" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA8-7qwaEPU
Paradox Interactive, "Distant Nebula" https://www.paradoxplaza.com
Lombus, "Goldilocks Analemma" https://lombus.bandcamp.com
Ross Bugden, "City Lights" https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQKGLOK2FqmVgVwYferltKQ

Benevolent Aliens

As ancient and vast as the Universe is, it seems like some alien race arose in the galaxy long before us, but who rose before them? What would the cosmos be like for the first civilization to arise, and what if it is us?

Watch the Video version: https://youtu.be/CO1AfnRUgI0
Start listening with a 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook plus two Audible Originals are free. Visit
http://www.audible.com/isaac or text "isaac" to 500-500.

Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
SFIA Merchandise available: https://www.signil.com/sfia/

Social Media:
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur on Twitter and RT our future content.
SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE

Credits:
The Fermi Paradox: Firstborn
Episode 242; June 11, 2020

Writers:
Isaac Arthur

Editors:
Darius Said
Jerry Guern

Produced & Narrated by:
Isaac Arthur

Cover Art: 
Jakub Grygier  https://www.artstation.com/jakub_grygier

Graphics:
Jeremy Jozwik https://www.artstation.com/zeuxis_of_losdiajana
LegionTech Studios https://hades9.com

Music:
Lombus, "Cosmic Soup" https://lombus.bandcamp.com
Aerium, "Waters of Atlantis" & "Fifth Star of Aldebaran" https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRnUJY3l5vIJFGsY3XvW4dQ
Markus Junnikkala, "A Memory of Earth" https://www.markusjunnikkala.com/
Miguel Johnson, "So Many Stars" https://soundcloud.com/migueljohnsonmjmusic

Colonizing Black Holes (Narration Only)

Isaac Arthur

Related tracks