Antimatter Research at Marshall Space Flight Center

On my visit to MSFC in Huntsville last summer, I was able to tour the Propulsion Research Center, where antimatter research is continuing, with the focus on HiPat (High Performance AntiProton Trap), an antimatter containment device capable of holding a trillion antiprotons. This article on Space.com (I hope you’re using a popup blocker) gives an overview of work at Marshall, though readers interested in HiPat should check Penn State’s research pages. Ray Lewis, who showed me around the HiPat facility, is a faculty member at PSU. The goal is to bring antiprotons from FermiLab, near Chicago, to Huntsville; think of antimatter rolling down I-24 in the passing lane. Storing and moving antimatter safely is a key challenge for interstellar propulsion studies.