In 2247 an international coalition of physicists and engineers developed from hypothesis to tested theory a method by which mankind could create their own wormholes.
To avoid the problems of having a crew spending what might be a decade on a ship with nothing to do, systems of chemically induced hibernation were developed.
After the development of stable fusion reactors in 2061, development of fusion propulsion for spacecraft was developed alongside Earthbound fusion power plants.
The fusion reactor developed by the Oppenheimer Project was based on the tokamak design created by pysicists in the U.S.S.R. during the mid 20th century.