Breakthrough Propulsion Physics - The Quest for Faster Than Light (FTL) Travel

Transcription

1 Breakthrough Propulsion Physics - The Quest for Faster Than Light (FTL) Travel Kelvin F.Long Vice President Icarus Interstellar

2 Contents The Challenge of the Stars Starships Space Drives Warp Drives Project Icarus Icarus Interstellar 100 Year Starship Acknowledgements: Adrian Mann graphics

3 The Fermi Paradox & Interstellar Studies

4 The Technical Challenge to Starship Design

5 The Technical Challenge to Starship Design

6 The Technical Challenge to Starship Construction

7 The Technical Challenge to Building a Starship

8 The Technical Challenge to Building a Starship

9 World Ships

10 World Ships

11 The Technical Challenge to Building an Interstellar Society Political Economic Business Socio/cultural Philosophical (e.g. religious) Psychological Legal Scientific Technological

12 Starships: Chemical Propulsion

13 Starships: Ion Drives & Plasma Drives

14 Starships: Fission Propulsion

15 Starships: Atomic Energy Vehicles

16 Starships: Fusion Propulsion

17 Icarus Interstellar: Project Daedalus

18 Icarus Interstellar: Project Icarus

19 Icarus Interstellar: Project Icarus

20 Icarus Interstellar: Projects

21 Space Drives: Icarus VARIES Project

22 Starships: Antimatter Propulsion

23 Starships: Solar Sails

24 Starships: Microwave Sails

25 Starships: The Interstellar Ramjet

26 NASA Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project The Space Drive, is an idealized form of propulsion where the fundamental properties of matter and space-time are used to create propulsive forces anywhere in space without having to carry and expel a reaction mass. Such an achievement would revolutionize space travel as it would circumvent the present constraint of requiring propellant. Without such a discovery, human interstellar exploration may not be possible. Millis, M, Challenge to Create the Space Drive, J.Prop & Power, 13, 5, 1997.

27 NASA Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project BPP defined three visionary breakthrough physics goals: 1. Mass: Propulsion that requires no propellant. 2. Speed: propulsion that circumvents existeing speed limits. 3. Energy: breakthrough methods of energy production to power such devices.

28 The Space Drive Any schemes must be consistent with firmly established physics; conservation of momentum and energy. Collision Sails: space contains some isotropic background medium (reaction mass) such as collection of electromagnetic waves or particles (i.e. ZPE, CBR, free protons, virtual pairs, dark matter), either of which possess momentum. Cause asymmetric force either side of mass to cause net propulsive force. Field Drives: create forces by interactions between matter and fields (gravity, electromagnetic). Develop physics that describes inertia, gravity or the properties of space-time as a function of electromagnetism. Metric Engineering: consider the very structure of space-time itself as a candidate for a propulsive interaction. Create asymmetries in the very properties of space-time that rise to inertial (nonaccelerating) frames warp drives

29 Einstein s Special Theory of Relativity The Principle of Invariant Light Speed "... light is always propagated in empty space with a definite velocity [speed] c which is independent of the state of motion of the emitting body." (from the preface). That is, light in vacuum propagates with the speed c (a fixed constant, independent of direction) in at least one system of inertial coordinates (the "stationary system"), regardless of the state of motion of the light source. y Space (x,y,z) Space-time z x time

30 Einstein s Relativistic Mass-Energy Restrictions p m o v v / c m rel m o v / c E rel m o 1 v c 2 2 / c 2 m c o 2 t 2c a n cosh 1 1 ans 2 2c Sagan, C (1963) Direct Contact Among Galactic Civilizations by Relativistic Interstellar Spaceflight, Planet.Space Sci, Vol, 11, pp

31 General Relativity: Worm Holes

32 General Relativity 8 G 4 c G T Space tells matter how to move, and matter tells space how to curve.

33 General Relativity Incorporates the special theory of relativity and postulates: 1. The laws of physics the same in every frame of reference. 2. the speed of light the same in all inertial frames of reference, independent of the source. 3. equivalence of gravity and acceleration.

34 General Relativity: Worm Holes

35 Warp Drive: Alcubierre 1994 ds 2 dt [ dx vs( t) f ( rs ( t)) dt] dy dz K.F.Long / BIS 15th Nov 2007 / Faster than light 35

36 f(rs) Warp Drives: Types rs f ( r s ) tanh[ ( r s R)] tanh[ ( r 2tanh[ R] s R)] K.F.Long / BIS 15th Nov 2007 / Faster than light 36

37 Warp Drive: Negative Energy Requirements 100m=10 62 Joules 1m=10 58 Joules 1cm=10 54 Joules 1mm=10 52 Joules 1micron=10 46 Joules

38 Warp Drives: Types

39 Warp Drives: Types

40 Warp Drives: Types K.F.Long, The Status of the Warp Drive, JBIS, 61, 2008.

41 What would the ship look like? Top view Side view Vehicle Requirement: 1. Capable of accelerating/decelerating to light speed 2. Carry either own negative energy source or access a field (quantum, scalar, electromagnetic). 3. Navigational control to avoid matter-energy collisions with incoming stream. 4. Structure must be opaque to incoming radiation Vehicle 5. May require separate propulsion system to accelerate vehicle to near light speed (i.e fusion) Front view 41

42 Warp Drives: Operation

43 Warp Drives: Operation

44 Warp Drives: Conjecture? Warp Drive cannot be ruled out Stephen Hawking Anything that is theoretically possible will be achieved in practice, no matter what the technical difficulties, if it is desired greatly enough. It is no argument against any project to say: The Ideas fantastic! Most of the things that have happened in the last fifty years have been fantastic, and it is only by assuming that they will continue to be so that we have any hope of anticipating the future. To do this to avoid that failure of nerve for which history exacts so merciless a penalty we must have the courage to follow all technical extrapolations to their logical conclusion. Arthur C Clarke, Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible, 1962.

45 How do we catalyse Interstellar flight research? Motivation & Vision Technical Capability Intellectual Pioneering Knowledge Capture International Co-operation Investment & Business innovation Commercial entrepreneurship Technological Readiness Technological Spin-offs (for Earth I) People co-ordination Leadership

46 Interstellar Institute (Starfleet Academy)

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49 100 Year Starship The 100-Year Starship Study is a project seeded by DARPA and NASA Ames to develop a sustainable model for persistent, longterm, private-sector investment into the myriad of disciplines needed to make long-distance space travel viable. The goal is to develop an investment vehicle under the patronage and guidance of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and technology visionaries which provides sustained investment over a century-long time horizon, together with the agility to respond to the accelerating pace of technological change. The scope includes the technological, financial, and organizational strategy for a long-term technology organization and the connections between economics, politics, social trends, and technological progress, as well as the organizational characteristics that could navigate these domains with the flexibility and robustness required to endure.

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51 The End