This discussion outlines a few areas of fundamental research which appear vital for progress in developing advanced propulsion concepts using dc railgun thrusters. We have placed emphasis on the following: (1) dense plasma and high current density influences on changes in microstructure and properties of conventional rail conductors such as Cu, Al, and W alloys or composites; (2) the influences described in (1) on more advanced high temperature, microstrain resistant, materials such as amorphous tungsten; (3) location, description and temporal evolution of current, magnetic field, and losses during intense plasma-current field interactions with conductors; and (4) composite materials and sequentially sectioned structures for more efficient EM dc launcher configuration.