iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Sept. 26: On this day in 1983, Stanislav Petrov trusted his gut and saved the world by not launching a retaliatory nuclear strike. Maybe we make this date a day for reflection on how close we’ve come only to be saved by good judgement. Maybe as “Spared by a Whisker Day”?

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Smoke from wildfires drifting through the Canadian Rockies as I fly back to Vancouver for the final phase of my “Make Fusion in 2026” sabbatical. The quest is urgent, and the final push starts now.

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McGill Interstellar Flight Research Group @mcgill-adastra.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Even after fifty years in flight and nearly 20 billion kilometers of travel, a distant spacecraft can still be reprogrammed and reconfigured from Earth. This is how we go to the stars. www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-en...

jpl.nasa.gov

NASA Engineers Help Prolong Voyager 2’s Science Mission | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Undergraduate student who has worked with me for the last three years is leaving to do her Master’s in Europe. She left me with a gift box of my favorite beverage, decorated with sketches from our various experimental adventures — and of course it’s a McMaster‑Carr box!

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Dr. Jorge Diaz @jsdiaz.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Hi, I am a theoretical physicist, during my free time I run a YouTube channel for physics nerds (www.youtube.com/@jkzero/). I share stories about discoveries and their protagonists complemented by animations and some calculations to take the viewer on an active journey of scientific discovery.

youtube.com

Dr. Jorge S. Diaz

Theoretical physicist creating physics content. I share stories about physics and their protagonists complemented by nice animations, visualizations, and some calculations to take the viewer on an act...

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McGill Interstellar Flight Research Group @mcgill-adastra.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

We're reading: “Direct High-Resolution Imaging of Earth-like Exoplanets with the Solar Gravitational Lens” arxiv.org/pdf/2606.14899

arxiv.org

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McGill Interstellar Flight Research Group @mcgill-adastra.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

CSA announcement of project awards is here: www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/funding-...

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McGill Interstellar Flight Research Group @mcgill-adastra.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Behind our newly announced CSA‑FAST project is a lot of unseen student work. The proposal’s heavy lifting—and the research behind it—came from two undergraduates, Anthony Côté and Siera Riel. Onward to exploring how the revolution in photonics can drive rapid missions to Mars.

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

T‑6 hours until our online discussion: Does NASA’s newly announced nuclear electric propulsion demonstration, Space Reactor‑1 Freedom, represent real progress or another technological dead end? Join us at 7 pm EDT / 4 pm Pacific. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T9p...

youtube.com

The Future of Nuclear Power and Advanced Propulsion in Space

YouTube video by Far Flight

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Tomorrow afternoon (Tues., April 7), I’ll be online with Ozan Bellik, Jeff Greason, and Lucas Beveridge (@nuke-luke.bsky.social) to break down NASA’s new plan for a 2028 nuclear‑electric propulsion demo. Exact time and YouTube link in the reply below.

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Word: “The 40 kWe nuclear reactor proposed for use in SR-1 Freedom would have a vital role in providing surface power for human Mars expeditions. But nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) offers no compelling advantages for either robotic or human Mars exploration.”

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Quick reality check: — Nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) won’t shorten Mars transit times. — We don’t have a space‑rated 25 kWe reactor — and even a crash program to develop one would take a decade. — Inside Mars’ orbit, solar electric propulsion already outperforms NEP.

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McGill Interstellar Flight Research Group @mcgill-adastra.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

Public imagination can ignite the next leaps in research. That’s why the McGill Interstellar Flight Research Group—led by @a-j-higgins.bsky.social—is at the Vancouver premiere of Project Hail Mary tonight. #ProjectHailMary

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

While reading Roald Sagdeev’s memoirs, I came across a quote from Pyotr Kapitsa, written on a preprint he had sent—of all people—to Stalin: “One is not a scientist who simply carries on scientific research; a scientist is one who cannot *not* carry on scientific research.”

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Back to Vancouver for phase two of the “Make Fusion in 2026” sabbatical, traveling light with only the essentials from Montreal.

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Sometimes you’re browsing the McMaster catalogue and come across something so adorable you add it to your cart without really needing it. This miniature ball valve did not disappoint.

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McGill Interstellar Flight Research Group @mcgill-adastra.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

That’s a wrap on #SciTech2026. Plenty of interest and sharp conversations around our work on beamed‑energy propulsion and solar‑wind surfing. Feels good to leave a mark on the Space Coast.

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

Cocoa Beach. A respectable little surf break. Apparently they also launch rockets nearby.

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

With my crew at the VAB at Kennedy Space Center. Artemis II is scheduled to roll out to Pad 39B at the end of this week.

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Aerospace peeps: I’m at SciTech for first time in 30 years! #SciTech2026

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Cees Bassa @cbassa.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Happy new year! My all sky camera imaged the sky every 15 seconds and this picture shows what happened in the sky in 2025. It shows the length of the night and day with the hourglass shape, the monthly lunar cycle with the diagonal bands, the elevation of the Sun at local noon, and lots of clouds.

The image shows the hourglass shape of the length of the day and night over the 365 days in 2025. Diagonal bands indicate when the Moon was up in the night sky.

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Reposted by Andrew Higgins

McGill Interstellar Flight Research Group @mcgill-adastra.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Let’s proceed to engage this mission. Among all proposed deep‑space initiatives, none are more demanding in terms of propulsion, precision, and endurance than a mission to the Solar Gravitational Lens—but the scientific return would be incredible. www.science.org/content/arti...

science.org

Sun’s gravitational lens could reveal alien planets’ surfaces

Bold concept calls for sending telescopes 10 times farther than Pluto

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Mount Baker and Lions Gate Bridge, viewed from Cypress Mountain, Vancouver.

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

The magic of leaving Vancouver Island at sunset on @bcferries.bsky.social.

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

Props to Long Beach Surf Shop for the expert kit and local wisdom. Every session was saltwater joy. Until next time, Tofino.

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McGill Interstellar Flight Research Group @mcgill-adastra.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

Unfiltered glimpses of our solar system revealed through raw, breathtaking images. Our group works with one goal in mind: to someday capture such images from other solar systems.

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McGill Interstellar Flight Research Group @mcgill-adastra.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

“How a Billionaire’s Plan to Reach Another Star Fell Apart” Our group is still at it, stubbornly in the trenches, steadily chipping away at the key problems that must be solved to reach the nearest stars. The work continues. Onward! www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

scientificamerican.com

A $100-Million Mission to Another Star Just Disappeared

An abandoned plan to visit another star highlights the perils of billionaire-funded science

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

Forty-two years ago, “The Day After” reshaped public discourse around the possibility of nuclear war, even profoundly influencing the sitting U.S. President. Can we hope that, in the hands of a gifted director like Bigelow, such impact might be felt again? youtu.be/0w6wUqWU3yU?...

youtu.be

A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE | Official Teaser | Netflix

YouTube video by Netflix

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Terence Tao @teorth.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

I wrote an op-ed on the world-class STEM research ecosystem in the United States, and how this ecosystem is now under attack on multiple fronts by the current administration: newsletter.ofthebrave.org/p/im-an-awar...

newsletter.ofthebrave.org

I’m an award-winning mathematician. Trump just cut my funding.

The “Mozart of Math” tried to stay out of politics. Then it came for his research.

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Congratulations to Space Concordia Rocketry Division on the successful launch of Starsailor, featuring the largest student-built bipropellant rocket engine ever flown (35 kN thrust). The launch occurred approximately 1 hr 16 mins into the livestream linked below. www.youtube.com/live/610YciE...

l.facebook.com

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McGill Interstellar Flight Research Group @mcgill-adastra.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

We're reading (and hoping for a successful flyby target🤞🤞): "An Extremely Deep Rubin Survey to Explore the Extended Kuiper Belt and Identify Objects Observable by New Horizons" by @megschwamb.bsky.social doi.org/10.3847/1538...

doi.org

Radware Bot Manager Captcha

To ensure we keep this website safe, please can you confirm you are a human by ticking the box below.

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Plateau Astro @plateauastro.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

Why were we able to see the spiral rocket plume last night, but not during other rocket launches? The time of day, the Sun’s light, and the direction the rocket heads into space causes this effect…

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Paul Gilster @gilster.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

A Saturn mass gas giant may be orbiting Alpha Centauri A, based on solid JWST infrared results and exhaustive simulations of its orbit. It's still a candidate rather than a confirmed world, but follow-up work will tell us soon. www.centauri-dreams.org/2025/08/08/a...

centauri-dreams.org

A Candidate Gas Giant at Alpha Centauri A | Centauri Dreams

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

If the sole purpose of attending the conference in person is to catch up with your former PhD students, it would still be worth it. #ICDERS2025

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

The infamous lecture hall at the University of Ottawa that requires every answer to be in the form of a question.

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

34 years ago this month, I arrived in graduate school to join a gas dynamics lab. On my very first day, I was handed a pair of scissors and a roll of Mylar and told to start cutting diaphragms. 34 years later, I’m still at it.

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

Those moments when the city just hits different. #Montreal

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McGill Interstellar Flight Research Group @mcgill-adastra.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

Our group focuses on near-term technologies for the first robotic forays beyond our solar system. But it’s worth addressing the oft-repeated claim: “The speed of light is a hard limit: You can’t travel to the stars in a lifetime, so it won’t happen. [1/9]

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

Our students achieved another successful high-altitude balloon flight last night in collaboration with @uvic.ca and with support from the CSA’s FAST program. Onward and upward!

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Andrew Higgins @a-j-higgins.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Reminder: At any time, dozens of comets cross into our inner solar system. The discovery of interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS deservedly excites us, but I'm seeing the tropes of “nature’s wake-up call” or “the dinosaurs didn’t have a space program.” Comets are *always* zipping in. /1

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Gerrit Bruhaug @gbruhaug.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

And my latest paper has finally been published! This was based on an INFUSE grant from the DOE to investigate powerful THz sources with TAE Technologies. pubs.aip.org/aip/pop/arti...

pubs.aip.org

Directional, joule per steradian THz pulses from multi-joule laser irradiation of wires

We report on THz pulses with energy flux exceeding 2.5 J/sr and high directionality, generated from picosecond, joule laser irradiation of microwires. The impac

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Paul Gilster @gilster.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

Using a direct fusion drive as being designed at Princeton for a Sedna orbiter. Interesting conceptual analysis & feasibility study, contrasting this option with a solar sail using desorption, blowing off embedded elements at perihelion. Hint: sail is faster. www.centauri-dreams.org/2025/07/01/a...

centauri-dreams.org

A Sedna Orbiter via Nuclear Propulsion | Centauri Dreams

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McGill Interstellar Flight Research Group @mcgill-adastra.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

Astronautics propulsion often comes down to plumbing, and interstellar propulsion will be no exception. So we had Swagelok Québec bring their training trailer to campus and put our personnel through a valve & fitting bootcamp.

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