The Starflight Handbook: A Pioneer's Guide to Interstellar TravelFrom the Tower of Babel to the Starship Enterprise, some part of our collective mind has always been at work scheming of ways to storm the heavens and reach the stars. Now, as we approach a time when the future of our species may depend upon more than what our beautiful but meager portion of galactic real estate offers, we are, fortunately, closer than ever to fulfilling that age-old ambition. But beyond the known planets, our closest extrasolar neighbor is 270,000 times more distant than the Sun, and bridging the vast distances to the fertile worlds that may lay beyond our Solar System will require radically new technologies—technologies as different from current capabilities as was Apollo 11 from The Spirit of St. Louis. The technological revolution that began in 1957, when Sputnik I pierced the atmosphere and made its way into Earth orbit, is really only the prelude to the much grander story of interstellar travel. The Starflight Handbook is the first compendium on planet Earth of the many and varied approaches to starflight now on the drawing boards of some of our most talented scientists and engineers. In an easy, nontechnical style, the authors offer in-depth discussions of everything from nuclear pulse propulsion engines to interstellar navigation systems, while detailed technical and mathematical information is reserved for sidebars and special appendices. Interwoven through the text are historical perspectives as well as related social and cultural considerations about the necessity and feasibility of starflight within the next quarter to half century. Generous coverage is given to interstellar propulsion schemes of all kinds; space-time problems in starflight; long-range, star to Earth communications; effects of the interstellar medium on people and machines; scientific payloads; interstellar arks and colonies; and techniques for spotting extrasolar planets. Throughout, the text is liberally sprinkled with elegant and enlightening illustrations depicting many of the ingenious and fantastic designs for starships and their hardware. The Starflight Handbook belongs on the shelf of anyone who has ever given thought to mankind’s destiny in space. Specialists and laymen, astronomers, and science fiction buffs alike will appreciate its wealth of detailed information and its graphic presentations. |
Contents
1 Introduction to Starflight | 1 |
Objectives of Interstellar Missions | 17 |
Nearby Star Systems | 27 |
Copyright | |
18 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
³He acceleration Alpha Centauri antimatter asteroids astrometric Astronautical astronomical atoms Barnard's Star beamed power cable charged chemical comet considered cosmic deceleration density detection diameter direction distance Dyson Earth efficient electric electromagnetic electron engine equation Eridani exhaust velocity exploration extrasolar planets extraterrestrial Fennelly Figure Forward fraction fusion fuel fusion ramjet fusion reaction fusion rocket galactic galaxy gravitational hydrogen interplanetary interstellar ark interstellar flight interstellar medium Interstellar Travel ionized JBIS kinetic energy km/sec laser launching light sail magnetic field mass ratio Matloff measurements mission momentum motion navigation nearby stars nebula nuclear pulse propulsion observed optical orbit particles payload pellets perihelion possible Project Daedalus propellant propulsion system proton pusher plate radiation radio radius RAIR ramscoop reactor relativistic ship solar sail Solar System spacecraft specific impulse speed of light star's starflight starship Starwisp stellar sunlight superconducting Technical Note telescope temperature tion trajectory V₁ vehicle Voyager wavelength
References to this book
UFOs, PSI, and Spiritual Evolution Christopher Humphries,Christopher J. Humphries Ph. D. Limited preview - 2015 |