MatterBeam

Hi Tim! Will you be featuring more of the in-space propulsion designs, like solar-electric rockets, in the future?

You will run out of launchers one day!

What if 20 years pass, and climate change really does wreak havoc, with governments and populations becoming really motivated to try multiple radical solutions at once? Could the general stance on 'space solar power' or 'move industry off Earth' shift enough in such a scenario for the Wait and Go Big approach to be discarded?

Thanks for the shout-out!

That's reasonable. Though, I must point out that stuff like solar sails and ion engines are already flying in space!

I agree, but improvements in anti-missile defenses would force the nuclear warheads to be placed into platforms that can be launched closer to the target: submarines, aircraft, warships.

This might have great consequences for nuclear-armed countries that do not have any delivery platforms other than long-range missiles - North korea being a prominent example.

Specifically, if the US sells an effective anti-missile defense to South Korea, what would stop their forces from invading North korea without fear of retaliation upon their cities back home?