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Principium and Keep an Eye on the Interstellar Societies Tend to Encourage RINCIPIUM PThe Newsletter of the Institute for Interstellar Studies ™ Letter from the Director News from the Institute ‘Advances’ Cubesats Retrospective: Daedalus Book Reviews R IN O T F E R E S T T U E T I L T L S A N R I S ™ TUDIES Scientia ad sidera www.I4IS.org Knowledge to the Stars A letter from Kelvin F. Long Dear friends, I am proud to have been the originator of this organisation and I am deeply We live in exciting times. In recent years honoured that many others have shared in many planets have been detected orbiting that vision and are actively assisting with around other stars. This is helping us to its foundation. My colleagues and I will realise that there are places to go, as work to make the Institute a success in the predicted in the many works of science coming years. This excellent newsletter fiction over the last century. In addition, represents our first publications outreach we are now witnessing the emergence of activity, other than the Institute blog the commercial space sector and space page. In time we hope this newsletter will tourism. This gives us hope and optimism serve as an exciting information source for that despite the challenges we face down the community. I want to personally thank here on Earth, better times lay ahead for Keith Cooper for taking on this role of our space-aspiring society. A key Editor and Adrian Mann for assisting with component of this is learning how to work the editorial graphics and production. I together in a spirit of co-operation and hope you enjoy this first issue of friendship and this is precisely what Principium and keep an eye on the interstellar societies tend to encourage. Institute’s website as we gradually With optimism, hope and an inspirational announce more activities in the coming vision, we can reach those distant stars. months. Scientia ad sidera. The oldest interstellar society today is the London-based British Interplanetary Society (BIS), founded in 1933 and fast Kelvin F. Long approaching its 80th anniversary. Executive Director Although it examines the broad issues The Institute for Interstellar Studies™ associated with robotic and human spaceflight, interstellar has always been a core component of its work, with studies like Project Daedalus in the 1970s and the famous ‘red cover’ issues of the Journal of the BIS that were published between 1974 and 1991. These considered subjects such as the design of World Ships, interstellar precursor missions and the prospect for intelligent life in the Universe. The BIS has been the torch-holder for the interstellar vision for many decades. In the last few years many others have decided to address the interstellar problem, by the formation of organisations or societies. This includes Vision 21, PI Club, the Interstellar Propulsion Society, the Tau Zero Foundation, Icarus Interstellar and 100 Year Starship. The latest entry into this group is the Institute for Interstellar Studies™. Our main focus is the nurturing of people through our educational academy and the fostering of starship- related research and development. Principium | Issue 1 | December 2012 Page 2 News from the Institute I4IS blasts off! The first four students to have signed Creating an interplanetary up to the projects are investigating topics The Institute for Interstellar Studies ™ as varied as designing interstellar probes; civilisation (I4IS) was launched on 14 September learning how to decelerate an interstellar I4IS team-member Stephen Ashworth has 2012. Founded in the United Kingdom, probe from a tenth of the speed of light as detailed his path for society to become an it ultimately aims to have a global it approaches its destination star; and interstellar civilisation. Inspired by a outreach. Executive Director Kelvin exploring agricultural techniques for a posting on the Centauri Dreams website, Long says, “I am very excited about this deep space microgravity environment, he describes on his blog a “creative opportunity, for which the time has now perhaps in a space station or a worldship, community of public and private come. Many have worked towards the populated by a thousand people. fulfillment of an interstellar vision over institutions acting in concert... and a set the past decades, and it is hoped that the of new technologies which both multiply institute will pull the community wealth and introduce new problems.” together behind a common purpose and On the road to the stars From thereon he describes a 14-point a bold enterprise.” The I4IS held its inaugural planning and scenario, starting with government progress meeting in the fitting setting of exploration of low-Earth orbit and the Learn more in Kelvin’s introduction to the British Library in London on 29 foundation of outposts there (already this issue on page 2. September 2012. Discussing everything achieved) followed by the onset of space from the Institute’s priorities during the tourism and private space enterprises that coming years to Institute-led projects and we are seeing today, leading to solar power Spaced-up revenue generation, the conversations satellites to energise the burgeoning interplanetary civilisation that could Dr Chris Welch, the deputy chair for I4IS’ during the workshop were abuzz with embark on new Moon missions and a Senior Advisory Council, gave a great ideas and a tremendous amount of lunar colony by 2050, Mars and Venus by presentation about the Institute to the hope for the future. 2080 and bonafide colonies on or in orbit SpaceUp ‘unconference’ (where I4IS members present included Kelvin around numerous planets by the participants decide the agenda) in Long, Rob Swinney, Jeremy Clark, beginning of the 22nd century. By the Stuttgart in September. Introducing the Jonathan Brooks, Richard Osborne, beginning of the 23rd century the Institute for the packed audience, he Stephen Ashworth and Keith Cooper. interplanetary economy could have grown described I4IS as “a nexus for the Look out for some of the things the by ten billion compared to today’s activities related to the challenges of Institute has planned coming over the economy, writes Ashworth, with asteroid achieving robotic and human interstellar next twelve months – the road to the stars mining in particular contributing to it and flight.” He recounted the British starts here! most of our descendants living in space. Interplanetary Society’s Daedalus project (see elsewhere this issue) and how I4IS Do you agree with Stephen Ashworth's plans to build on that work by seeking to roadmap? write to us and tell us your conduct credible research into the science visions of the future. and technology of starships, ultimately progressing towards a capable and confident human species in interplanetary space, with benefits for life back home too. Welch also gave special mention to the prospect of the I4IS Academy (directed by Rob Swinney), which will see I4IS members, with Executive Director students takes MSc projects with the Kelvin Long on the left, discuss Institute through the International Space interstellar matters at the British Library. University near Strasbourg. To keep up to date with the latest I4IS news, check out the Starship Log on the Institute’s Interstellar Index http://www.interstellarindex.com/ blog / or follow the Institute on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/InterstellarInstitute Dr Chris Welch introduces the Institute for Interstellar Studies at the SpaceUp and LinkedIn ‘unconference’ in September. http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home &gid=4640147&trk=anet_ug_h m Principium | Issue 1 | December 2012 Page 3 ADVANCES Ahead Warp Factor One! Could we warp space to our the Universe. There was only one space-time flat. The bubble, however, drawback: you would have to convert every causes space in front of the craft to will, reducing interstellar travel atom in the visible Universe into pure contract, in essence pulling the target energy to obtain the required power. destination towards it. Behind the vessel times to just weeks rather the bubble allows space-time to relax and than years? It seems Less energy to warp space expand again, giving the starship a boost of many orders of magnitude in the fantastical, but a new It seemed like the dream of faster- than-light travel had died. Inflation, dark direction the craft had been moving under experiment may just be the energy, the entire rest-mass energy of the impulse power. It’s like a rug being pulled visible Universe – these are forces of underneath you or, as physicist Eric Davis turning point needed to nature wildly bigger than anything we can at the Institute of Advanced Studies at Austin, Texas describes it, surfing on a transform fantasy into reality. control but since 1994 there has been a determined downsizing effort going on. By wave of space-time where the wave is revisiting Alcubierre’s calculations, doing the work, not the surfer. So a warp bubble could turn a velocity of a tenth the A laboratory experiment to test successive physicists have been able to twiddle with the initial conditions of the speed of light into ten times the speed of whether space can be artificially ‘warped’, light, making a journey to alpha Centauri potentially leading to a ‘warp drive’ for equations and reduce the amount of energy required, first down to the mass- 4.3 light years away last a mere 0.43 years, starships, has been designed by Dr Harold or just over five months. ‘Sonny’ White and his team at the energy of a galaxy, then a star and a gas advanced Eagleworks Labs at NASA’s giant planet. Now White has reduced the The reduction in the required energy Johnson Space Center in Houston. energy requirements to an amount that, from the days of Alcubierre is a result of at first glance, seems eminently toying with the thickness of the warp When limited to conventional physics, obtainable: about 500 kilograms, the mass bubble.
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