Discovery to Breakthrough
When we talk about “new physics,” what we really mean is discovery.
“New physics is new discoveries,” said Dr. James Gilland, senior scientist at the Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI) and Parallax Advanced Research. “Sometimes the term is used pejoratively, as if it means old physics was wrong. But physics isn’t wrong—it might just be incomplete. Expanding knowledge happens only through discovery, and discovery must always be grounded in the scientific method.”
For Gilland—whose career spans advanced propulsion systems from Hall thrusters to nuclear electric propulsion—the distinction is critical: discovery is not development.
“Technically, a discovery is not a technology development, because we didn’t know it was there,” he said. “It takes time for someone to characterize it, explore its limits, and eventually imagine applications. That’s the beginning of development.”
History is full of examples of physics discoveries that sparked entirely new domains.
“Quantum mechanics gave us semiconductors, lasers, and atomic clocks,” Gilland said. “Relativity and radiation research gave us nuclear power, propulsion, and weapons. Those were not technologies first—they were discoveries characterized and then applied.”
Lasers provide a telling illustration. First came the discovery of quantized energy levels in atoms. Then researchers recognized that population inversions could generate coherent light. Only later did engineers develop practical lasers—and from there, countless applications.
Gilland underscores that the path from discovery to deployment is long.
“Rockets were proposed in the 1920s, first built in the 1950s, used by governments in the 1960s, and really went commercial in the 1980s or 1990s. That’s 40 to 60 years from hypothesis to application. If you wait until you ‘need it,’ you’re already decades too late,” he said.
Balancing Incremental Gains and Paradigm Shifts
So how should funders allocate resources? Gilland cautions against betting the farm on paradigm shifts.
“I would never bet on a paradigm shift,” he said. “But if you ignore them, like neutrons or lasers, you’ll be behind.”
His experience at NASA’s Nuclear Propulsion Office in the 1990s offers a model.
“We focused most of our budget on baseline technologies—reactors we knew we could build. But we carved out 10 percent for ‘innovative concepts,’ like gas-core nuclear rockets. That small fraction let us test bold ideas without derailing the mission,” he said.
The key, he said, is patience.
“Discovery, research, and development are three distinct phases. You need patience for each—and a willingness to carry discoveries forward even before their use is obvious.”
Why Funders Must Pay Attention
If discoveries are the seed corn of future technology, then planners must invest early. Gilland points out that even universities today often feel compelled to pitch immediate applications in their physics proposals.
“If you only fund what already has a use case, you’ll miss what’s truly new. Discovery is finding something new about the world. Innovation is figuring out what it means,” Gilland said.
That’s where the role of organizations like Parallax and OAI becomes vital.
“You need someone to track, evaluate, and bridge,” Gilland said. “Otherwise, promising ideas either languish or get hyped prematurely.”
The Honest Broker: Where Parallax/OAI Fit
Parallax and OAI bring a unique vantage point to this challenge. As Gilland puts it, they can serve as the “honest broker of innovation.” With expertise in propulsion systems, high-temperature materials, and systems integration—and with networks that span academia, government, and industry—the organizations convene diverse perspectives and provide neutral, technically rigorous assessments.
“OAI was once funded by NASA to begin developing a database of far-future physics concepts and their potential applications,” Gilland said. “The idea was to give program managers and even students a trustworthy source—reviewed by experts—on what was real, what was speculative, and what steps would be required to move forward. That’s exactly the kind of neutral, integrative role Parallax and OAI can play.”
Beyond assessment, Parallax/OAI’s strengths in cognitive systems engineering, AI-enabled decision support, and testbeds (digital twins, integration labs, and LVC environments) help portfolio managers weigh tradeoffs between incremental advances and speculative investments. And OAI’s workforce development mission ensures that when new physics does yield new industries, the talent pipeline is ready.
Parallax/OAI Perspective
With deep expertise in nuclear propulsion systems, advanced mission design, and high-temperature materials, Parallax and OAI bring a “big picture” lens to the challenge of physics-driven innovation. Their role is not to chase hype, but to integrate and rigorously assess new concepts against established science and mission realities. By applying advances in AI-enabled decision making and optimization, Parallax/OAI can map system pathways, balance speculative ideas with proven physics, and guide sponsors toward the most promising investments. As a neutral but knowledgeable arbiter, they help ensure that emerging physics is explored responsibly stretching toward bold aerospace applications without discarding the hard-won foundations of known theory.
Looking Ahead
Gilland sees the frontiers of quantum mechanics and cosmology as the likeliest sources of future disruption—whether through exotic transitions, extreme gravity effects, or vacuum energy phenomena. But he warns against discarding established science too readily.
“Any theory that requires rewriting all our known observations bears the burden of explaining everything as well as current physics does,” he said.
His advice for funders and planners is:
“Don’t bet everything on paradigm shifts, but don’t ignore them either. Keep discoveries in the pipeline, because it takes decades to mature them into technology. If you only focus on what’s useful today, you won’t be ready for tomorrow.”
About Dr. James Gilland
With more than three decades of experience in electric and advanced propulsion, Dr. James Gilland brings unmatched technical depth to the conversation about Mars mission design. A Senior Scientist at the Ohio Aerospace Institute, Gilland has worked on propulsion systems spanning from 300-watt thrusters to 300-megawatt nuclear electric propulsion concepts. His career includes serving as Lead Nuclear Electric Propulsion Engineer at NASA’s Nuclear Propulsion Office in the early 1990s, qualification testing of Hall thrusters for NASA’s Artemis Gateway, and participation on the National Academies’ Committee on Space Nuclear Propulsion Technologies. A former NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Fellow and active member of AIAA, Gilland has shaped the field through research, system analysis, and mentoring of the next generation of propulsion engineers. His breadth of expertise—ranging from solar and nuclear electric systems to breakthrough concepts like plasma wave propulsion—underscores his central message: that Mars exploration will succeed not by advancing any one technology in isolation, but by integrating across disciplines, architectures, and institutions.
###
About Parallax Advanced Research & the Ohio Aerospace Institute
Parallax Advanced Research is an advanced research institute that tackles global challenges through strategic partnerships with government, industry, and academia. It accelerates innovation, addresses critical global issues, and develops groundbreaking ideas with its partners. In 2023, Parallax and the Ohio Aerospace Institute, an aerospace research institute located in Cleveland, OH, formed a collaborative affiliation to drive innovation and technological advancements across Ohio and the nation. The Ohio Aerospace Institute plays a pivotal role in advancing aerospace through collaboration, education, and workforce development.