Astronomical surveys, justified to achieve specific science objectives, return torrents of data that are inherently likely to produce unexpected discoveries. Realization of these serendipitous science results may be as fruitful as fulfilling the original scientific objectives. In some cases, a multidisciplinary scientific outlook is necessary to  identify and effectuate these spin-offs. This talk will describe an astrophysics-inspired technology spinoff that may represent a major step forward for laboratory plasma physics experiments and in-space ion propulsion.