Over forty years ago, it was predicted that visible light could be produced in a vacuum. Now researchers have succeeded in producing light in a vacuum by causing a tiny mirror to vibrate at near the speed of light. The process involves a quantum interference device called a squid.

At Berkeley Lab in California two researchers are working on the basic principles for building an artificial sun by incorporating cobalt in tiny pores of a glass sphere. Combined with the now proven ability to produce light in a vacuum, these recently acquired technologies can bring about a type of propulsion called "Light Drive". Light drive is the only way that we could leave the solar system and travel to the far reaches of the universe. To leave the solar system, we would need to take a sun and a planet with us as an ark in space.

One way to make a tiny mirror vibrate would be to use a mesoporous silica sphere, cobalt, and a concave Casimir mirror disc that is connected to a central axle that incorporates a linear series of magnetic/superconducting nanospheres. Think of the device as a glass gyro in a glass ball. Cofe nanospheres are photomagnetic and could be used for the purpose of making a small mirror vibrate. Other candidates are nickel-iron-aluminum micro-alloys. These are ferromagnetic.

If light can be produced in a vacuum, then light can be focussed and it can be amplified. When light is emitted, it produces a force. This force might not be large, but could be utilized as propulsion in low gravity environments- Light Drive.

What would be required to take a population on a journey to another star? Present technology could not do this. To leave the cradle of the Earth would be a tremendous undertaking. We could spend a thousand years building an artificial sun and an artificial earth type planet. Countless generations could live out their lives traveling on our Mother Ship. It is possible to travel to another star, but not in a single generation.

When I was a younger man, I was once told the story of a farmer who lifted a calf each day as it grew a little heavier. He knew that he could do this because he had done it the day before. He believed that he could. This calf is the symbol for a world in distress. We have to face our problems each day and keep trying to succeed. The calf started out small, and so our nation and we keep rising out of bed each day hoping that today will be a little better than yesterday.

Knowing that our Sun and our Earth will some day die we realize that we cannot solve our problems without working together as many nations in concert. This should bring us together. As in many times of disaster, nations can come to agreement when there is no other resolution.

Each generation has stood on the accomplishments of the last, and aspired to reach still higher. Our nation is the product of countless generations before. This generation has many problems. Yet every problem provides an opportunity for the brightest minds of the generation to do great work.

Let us as many peoples come together in a spirit of "we can do" and begin our world anew and be steadfast and resolved that our leaders owe us a chance for hope to rain down again. If we accept poor leadership we deny our children the dream of tomorrow.

So, let us dream again. Let us plan a great future. And let us reach a little higher. Let us reach for the stars. Together we can do great things, but we must believe the impossible is just a word taken from the dictionary.

"They said that it could not be done, but a great man does not believe in cannot. He never heard the word, and he did it anyway".

Ralph Randolph Sawyer