In Poul Anderson's 1970 novel Tau Zero, a starship crew seeks to travel to the star Beta Virginis in hopes of colonizing a new planet.The ship's mode of propulsion was a so-called "Bussard ramjet ...

Space illustrator Adrian Mann created these concept images of futuristic nuclear-powered interstellar starships, including Daedalus and Project Icarus.

So after half a century of hope for interstellar travel in the distant future, it is now apparent that the ramjet drive, while an interesting idea, will remain merely part of science fiction.