Monthly Archives: August 2024

One of the more intriguing rocketry legends involves reports of a two-stage, liquid-fueled rocket fired at Washington D.C. in the twilight of the Civil War. According to the story, Confederate agents enlisted overseas help from Lord Kelvin to deliver liquid … Continue reading →

Rocketry failed to impact the Civil War in any meaningful way. Much of that failure can be traced to funding and supply issues. Other failures can be tied directly to lack of expertise. But one high-profile failure is more difficult … Continue reading →

My father, Harold Kaufman, is in the NASA Hall of Fame for his work on ion rocket engines. Ion propulsion uses vaporized, ionized mercury fired through charged grids. The actual mass of ionized particles is small, so the engine can’t … Continue reading →