RINCIPIUM PThe Newsletter of the Institute for Interstellar Studies ™ Introduction by Rob Swinney News from the Institute ‘Advances’ ‘Listening Post’ Retrospective: Voyager 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 Rob Swinney We do indeed live in exciting times. developing a core curriculum in I remember growing up in the sixties interstellar studies for students to and seventies and being totally captured provide them with the up-to-date by a similar spirit during the Apollo age academic training they will need to be and the later planetary missions. Sadly successful in this field. In the longer the dream of manned missions to Mars term we also intend to inspire and by the eighties and Saturn by the early develop students from as early as Key twenty-first century crumbled. The Stage 2 onwards and will undertake promise shown by the inspirational yet targeted public outreach events to give fictional worlds of Star Trek and Star them an understanding of space and its Wars seemed just that – fictional. many challenges. Now, once again, ‘the planets are lining Although the Institute's mission has up’. There is a new buzz. There is a a clearly defined goal, to achieve true feeling that the technologies required interstellar flight, we believe that in the to reach the stars are just on the horizon coming years the Academy will naturally (at least unmanned to start with). So a provide a cornerstone in the Science, few years ago, having attained the rank Technology, Engineering and of squadron leader as an aerosystems Mathematics (STEM) goals of the engineer in the Royal Air Force, I wider society. In addition we hope to decided to take my contractual option to encourage all aspects of understanding, leave. I was already reflecting on what from the related social and cultural great new adventure to take. Maybe you activities, the arts and fostering are too? imagination so that our graduates will be able to work co-operatively with anyone Having met the likes of the Institute’s from the global community and make a Executive Director Kelvin Long at the positive contribution. British Interplanetary Society’s meetings, it was through Project Icarus One of our greatest challenges is that that we came to work more closely we are initially a group of volunteers together, starting in 2009. When Kelvin working in our own time to build a told me of his plans for the Institute I strong foundation to the Academy and was immediately keen to get involved. the Institute. Our rapid growth has I didn’t realise that he had big plans for proven to be an organisational challenge me having known that I had spent a and only overcome by more hard work few years as a teacher and had also and time dedicated to the cause. We are been closely involved at the RAF’s fortunate that we have a growing College, running and instructing on number of people supporting our work. aerosystems engineering courses and Perhaps you would like to be involved being involved with the leadership with the Institute too? Enthusiasts are training of young officers. always welcome and you can reach us via our website, www.i4is.org. My role in the institute for Interstellar Studies will be the first Director of the This brings me to the recent sad Academy. We have big plans for the passing of Sir Patrick Moore, whom Academy to support the work of the I first met in the 1980s. He was Institute and have recently started with undoubtedly my favourite enthusiast, new interstellar themed MSc Projects. showing what could be achieved with Our first ‘customers’ are based with the great dedication and hard work. If the International Space University located in founders of the Institute can follow his Strasbourg with four students example we can look forward to a undertaking projects as part of their successful future. Space Studies course. Recently we even Thank you Patrick, RIP. had our first member travel from India to the USA to attend an international conference. We plan to develop this to Rob Swinney support the younger members of the Academy and Finance Director Institute and eventually create a full The Institute for Interstellar Studies™ scholarship programme. We are Principium | Issue 2 | January 2013 Page 2 News from the Institute Going interstellar in Tennessee Evacuate Earth! The Philosophy of the Starship National Geographic Channel explored Date: May 29th 2013 the possibility of interstellar travel before the end of the twenty-first century over Venue: BIS HQ 27/29 Lambeth Road, the Christmas period with their new docu- London drama, Evacuate Earth . With I4IS This is a symposium on the philosophy of Executive Director Kelvin Long onboard the Starship. At some point in the future, as a scientific consultant, Evacuate Earth focused on whether it would be possible to human kind will build robotic and human transport humanity to another star carrying vessels which will go beyond the system were Earth placed in jeopardy (in solar system, out into interstellar space the programme, from a rogue neutron and onto visit worlds around other stars. star on a collision course). As we prepare our civilization to embark Scientists, engineers, authors, on this exciting journey to establish the anthropologists and sociologists will be new frontier, it is worth pausing to think, heading to Alabama, United States in and consider how we should plan these February for the Second Tennessee Valley bold and ambitious missions. That Interstellar Workshop. It’s organised by planning begins now. NASA space scientist and science fiction History has shown examples of societies author Les Johnson – who’s book Going who built great vessels for similar Interstellar we reviewed last issue – and is purpose, such as the Portuguese Caravel being sponsored by several organisations Evacuate Earth: launching a starship from a doomed planet. sailing ships which were launched in the including the Institute for Interstellar Image: National Geographic. 1400’s and used for 300 years hence to Studies ™ and the British Interplanetary explore the coast of Africa. The Italian Society. There’s going to be a strong I4IS The show garnered a fair bit of media explorer Christopher Columbus set sail presence at the workshop, including attention, including a piece in the 21 across the Atlantic Ocean in an Kelvin Long and Claudio Maccone, as December edition of The Times , where expedition of three such ships in 1492, well as Centauri Dreams’ Paul Gilster and Long was interviewed about possible hoping to find a route to India to trade for Icarus Interstellar’s Richard Obousy. forms of starship propulsion and I4IS spices. His mission was funded by King given a mention in the newspaper – Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Spain. The aim of the workshop is to hopefully it is just the beginning of raising encourage discussion and debate and the Institute’s star in the media! The result was his discovery of the New promote thought-provoking ideas across a World. Similarly, HMS Challenger set out If you missed Evacuate Earth on the in 1872 on a three year scientific exercise wide-range of topics: spacecraft National Geographic Channel, you can propulsion technologies and engineering; catch it on YouTube at to lay the foundations of oceanography, economic, social and political http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFgJ7Hss1VA going on to discover 4,000 previously considerations; life support and unknown species. hibernation; colonisation concepts and I4IS Talks For the future Starships, what sort of exoplanet studies; and SETI. With the vessels should we send and what will be line-up of heavy-hitting speakers and Institute for Interstellar Studies Executive their function? how should they be attendees it’s going to be one not to miss Director Kelvin Long will be embarking on constructed, financed and governed? if you’re in the area. Held over 3–6 a lecture tour in the United States at the What sort of technology should such February 2013 at the Nexolve first floor beginning of February. Dates announced so vessels contain? What are the auditorium at 655 Discovery Drive, far include: risk/benefits for making the trip? What Huntsville, Alabama, USA, as part of the • Tennessee Valley Interstellar are the implications for the future workshop there will also be a tour of the Workshop, Huntsville, Alabama evolution of those star faring humans that United Launch Alliance facility where the (5 February) made the voyage? Who should go, why and workhorse Delta IV and Atlas V rockets • NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center, what characteristics should these Starship used by NASA are built. Meanwhile, the Huntsville, Alabama (6 February) humans have? What will we discover when results of the workshop will be published we get there? Do we understand what is in a special issue of the Journal of the • NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio (8 February) meant by the romantic phrase “Starship”? British Interplanetary Society . The Institute for Interstellar Studies™ Kelvin also has two European dates lined has organized this symposium in For more details, visit up. First he'll be at the International Space http://lesjohnsonauthor.com/tviw/tviw_2013. collaboration with the Journal of the University in Strasbourg, France on 19–20 British Interplanetary Society. We invite February and then on the following innovative and thought provoking papers weekend of 23–24 February at the UKSEDS which explore these ideas. (UK Students for the Exploration & Devel- opment of Space) 2013 conference at the All submissions should be sent to University of Bristol.