I noticed that the old Orion idea of using atomic energy to power space flight is back.

Also see this NASA site

  My feeling about space flight is that it is great and important, --that is to have a base on the Moon and Mars, but for a long time I have hoped there would be some insight on how to get to the stars. Part of my motivation for learning the Physics of String Theory is is that hope. [Also there is the opinion of some medieval authorities that learning Physics and Metaphysics is a part of learning Torah]. But the main hope for getting to the stars seems to me to be due to a suggestion that ER=EPR that is an Einstein Rosen Bridge is the same thing that keeps atoms entangled.   If this is true, then there are plenty of wormholes around. The question would be then how to expand them and put them together and then get them to attach themselves to "somewhere else". 

i do not know if my dad was involved in this particular project, though there were projects between the U-2 and Star Wars SDI that he was involved with but they were so top secret that he did not share anything about his work with his children. The only thing i knew about was his camera on the U-2 and the later work at TRW on Star Wars,--In between i was aware later that he also was involved in top secret projects for the USA government but never knew what they were. [It was not that he was so educated.  True he had gone to Cal-Tech. But the fact is that the USA wanted his talents in inventing stuff- not because of any academic degrees, but because in invention  he was a genius as they had already seen in his inventing the Infra Red Telescope.