An Interstellar Exploration Initiative for Future Flight
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1991 (28th) Space Achievement: A Global The Space Congress® Proceedings Destiny Apr 23rd, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Paper Session I-A - An Interstellar Exploration Initiative for Future Flight H. D. Froning McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Company, Huntington Beach, CA Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.erau.edu/space-congress-proceedings Scholarly Commons Citation Froning, H. D., "Paper Session I-A - An Interstellar Exploration Initiative for Future Flight" (1991). The Space Congress® Proceedings. 20. https://commons.erau.edu/space-congress-proceedings/proceedings-1991-28th/april-23-1991/20 This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences at Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Space Congress® Proceedings by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN INTERSTELLAR EXPLORATION INITIATIVE FOR FUTURE FLIGHT H. D. Froning, Jr. McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Company* Huntington Beach, California 92647 Abstract plan to extend human presence into the solar system by establishing settlements on the moon . An example is presented of a Space Exploration and Mars. The next logical steps in space after Initiative (SEI) that would maintain the rapid rate human expansion throughout the solar system of aerospace progress we accomplished in the past would be travel beyond the solar system to the and culminate in journeys to the stars. Such an SEI stars. But although many interstellar flight studies would embody extremely long-term goals that: have been performed, very few interstellar challenge the human spirit, meet human needs and initiatives have been proposed. References 1,2,3 set forth our intention to embark upon a manned and 4 are some of the several documented ones this interstellar journey within 100 years after the first author knows. human exploration of another celestial body (the moon). Near term goals would be the same as Here, most interstellar studies have been of current SEI ones (establishment of Space Station slower-than-light starships that embody "Freedom", return to the moon, and manned foreseeable spaceflight technology and have longer exploration of Mars) because they are the next mission times than the remaining lifetimes of logical stepping stones to the stars. The paper those who would be called upon to sponsor their shows prospects for the kinds of future technical trips. Therefore, there has been little enthusiasm breakthroughs which would maintain the rapid for sponsoring interstellar initiatives that involve rate of aerospace progress of our past and how such ships. But, discoveries of new sources of such breakthroughs might phase into SEI energy and new modes of vehicle impulsion could architectures during coining years. Finally, it is enable extremely swift starships that could share shown that an SEI that embodies an interstellar some of the results of their interstellar explorations initiative would not significantly impact current with those who made possible their trips. spaceflight initiatives and plans. However, it Furthermore, the kinds of scientific and would require that a greater fraction of space technological breakthroughs that would enable exploration funding be dedicated towards "far- new energy sources and modes of impulsion could out" research for future flight. also help solve some of the severe environmental and economic problems we will be facing in the Introduction future on earth. Thus, this paper will examine an interstellar initiative that strives for the kinds of In the past, we expanded beyond the boundaries revolutionary breakthroughs that could take us to of birth, then beyond countries and continents, and the stars and meet future human needs on earth as even beyond the limits of earth. In the future, we well * The views presented here are those of the author. They do not necessarily represent the views of McDonnell Douglas with respect to either Interstellar Exploration Initiatives or the SEL 1-7 What if We Could Maintain the Aerospace The Wright Brothers' firstpoweredflightabove Progress of Our Past the earth was made at a speed of about 30 miles per hour over a distance of about 150 feet. Today, 87 The modern history of flight began years later, mankind's longest flight is still approximately 87 years ago with the Wright underway. For the Pioneer 10 spacecraft, traveling Brothers first successful controlled and powered faster than 30 thousand miles per hour, is still flight above the sands of Kitty Hawk, North transmitting data while more than 4 billion miles Carolina in 1903. Since then, there have been from earth. Thus, we have made more than a many significant advancements that have enabled thousand-fold increase in flight speed during our enormous progress during the first 87 years of first 87 years of flight, while increasing our distance flight. Some of these, are shown in Figure 1. covering capability by more than 200 billion times. Furthermore, Figures 2 and 3 show that if we could maintain our past average rate of progress during First Aircraft 1903 the next 87 years of flight, we will have reached the FHflht____ velocity of light and distant stars. First Successful Liquid Rockat Flight *____ First Jat Powarad 1939 Aircraft Flight _ _ __________A 10 2 First Supersonic 194 Aircraft Flight ____________ A Propagating Speed-of-Llght x , First Spacafllght 10° Around tha Earth ___________ & First Mach 6 s s aircraft flight , + + * First Mannad Landing + *+* on Anothar World __ 10-2 <$> Pioneer 10 £** rocket flight First Trip beyond 1983 tha Solar Syatam - _ A C7 Fusion rocket flight (prediction £f G First aircraft flight 10-* - by Jaffe) &' A First intercontinental aircraft flight L Major Breakthroughs and Milestones During E) First aircraft flight Figure 10-6 V^^ at sonic speed the First Century of Flight V First Mach 3 aircraft flight 1900 1950 2000 2050 21 C Year (AD) Past significant advancements are: the first rocket and airbreathing vehicle flights (1926) and Figure 2. If We Could Maintain Our Past Rate of (1939), first attainment of supersonic speed (1947), Improvement in Flight Speed, We Could Reach the first spaceflight around the earth (1957), first Speed-of-Light by 2075 manned landing upon the moon (1969) and first 1024 i travel beyond the solar system (by the Pioneer 10 to M-31 nebula spacecraft in 1983), 1020 Distance from Earth Itis not tralyproper to view aerospace progress © First aircraft as a smooth continual improvement, since (as flight Q First, manned indicated in Figure 1) it is made in steps. Here, spaceflight improvement occurs fairly quickly with 10* A First manned lunar flight introduction of a new capability, followed by a 10° O First flight beyond slower rate of progress as the new capability is orbit of Neptune perfected and refined. Nevertheless, we can look 1900 1950 2000 2050 2100 back on our first 87 years of powered flight and Year (AD) determine the average rate of improvement in that we Figure 3. If We Cta&f Maintain Our ftef tale o/ speed and distance covering capability Improvement in F8gto Distance^ We CouM Reach Otter achieved. Galaxies by 2075 1-8 Such rapid achievement of such seemingly Similarly, as revolutionary computational impossible things certainly appears preposterous developments have already evolved a significant at this time. For just as faster-than-sound travel degree of artificial intelligence, so future and manned expeditions to the moon were not advancements may enable an even deeper fusion foreseen by any technical person in 1903, so things of human intellect and thinking machines; and as such as faster-than-light travel and intergalactic past material developments have emphasized heat expeditions cannot be envisioned today, resistance and structural strength, so future advancements may emphasize hyperconductivity The Possibility of Impossible Things electrical properties and magnetic strength. Robert Browning once said, "By far the greatest Some of the advancements and Possible advancements and' and to the achievements that have enabled achievement* that may enable obstacle to the progress of science significant progress during the comparable progress during the undertaking of new tasks and provinces therein, is first 87 years of powered flight next 87 years of powered ft ight found in this that men despair and think things N*w sci«nc»: relativity theory and few *ci*no«: meta relativity antf impossible,'* and there has never been a lack of quantum physics quantum meta physics N*w technologies: solid state New technologies: vacuum prestigious people to declare the impossibility of electronics and photonlcs, electro-magnetics, psycho- cybernetics, composite materials cybernetics, hyp*rcorvducti v* future things. In 1885, Lord Kelvin, President of materials Royal Society, declared that "Heavier than air New sourc*« of pow*rn solar New sources of powers vacuum the energy and nuclear energy i»ro-polnt energies of space flying machines are impossible." Charles Duell, New mode>* of propulsion: air New mode* of propul«k»na field Director of the U.S. Patent Office in 1899 breathing and rocket propulsion propulsion, Inertia-less drives Achievements: progression from Achievements: progression from announced that, "Everything that can be invented subsonic to supersonic flight subluminai to supertumlnal flight has already been invented." While in 1923, Robert Millikan, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics Table 1. Past and Future Possible Advancements proclaimed that, "There is no likelihood man can During the History of Flight ever tap the power of the atom." Furthermore, just as new sources of power Just as one must be cautious before accepting (solar and nuclear energy) were developed during authoritative statements on impossibility of future the first 87 years of powered flight, so new sources things, so we must also be careful in attempting (such as the "zero-point' J electromagnetic energies precise predictions of extraordinary things that of the vacuum of space) might be perfected during might come to pass.