Roadmap to Interstellar Flight

Transcription

1 Roadmap to Interstellar Flight Giovanni Vulpetti just a few notes M2, International Academy of Astronautics, Paris France Senior Guest Lecturer, Dept. of Astronautical Engineering, University of Rome, Rome Italy Topic expanded by the author in a round table, July 9,

2 The Conscious Life Expansion Principle (going beyond Anthropic Principles) Universal Laws are Conscious-Life oriented. They enable a conscious species, inhabiting a planet, to eventually realise systems for progressive space exploration, including interstellar flight. A civilisation may then be motivated to either continue to live on its birth planet only or to spread to other star systems. Giovanni Vulpetti, K. Long (Ed.), BEYOND THE BOUNDARY, Chap. 2, The Initiative for Interstellar Studies, London, December

3 Targets near the Sun 3

4 The α-centauri 3-Star System α-centauri A/B β-centauri Proxima Centauri 4

5 nearby stars relative to the Sun 5

6 Past research on The Interstellar Flight (TIF): From 1952 (the seminal paper by L. R. Shepherd) up to 1993, virtually all potentials for interstellar flight based on the action-reaction principle propulsion methods have been studied and deeply analyzed. Forty years of plenty of multidisciplinary research. Three goals were reached: 1. To recognize that TIF does regard the evolution of a conscious species beyond its planet of birth 2. Interstellar Precursor Missions are necessary to pave the way for TIF 3. Slow interstellar flight are possible in principle, and with the awareness that returning to the planet of origin may not be a constraint. 6

7 Interstellar Precursor Missions medium term = years IAA-2013 Nuclear Ion Propulsion Solar-Photon Sailing Mixed or Staged Propulsion 7

8 The first mission to a nearby star system Pulsed Thermonuclear Propulsion (rendezvous is possible), e.g. ICARUS Laser/Microwave-Beam Sail Propulsion (fast blyby with sail stabilization) Linear momentum of light Beam s angular momentum of light (not only the photon spin) Long-term: years 8

9 The first mission to a nearby star system Starship to α-centauri with payload consisting of one telecom unit (grav-lens of α-a perturbed by α-b) Stellar-Photon Sailing: two Shepherd probes for α-a/b exploration (planets, stellar winds, inter-star fields, ) Stellar-Photon Sailing: one Shepherd probe for the exploration of Proxima The insertion of the SPS probes into the grav-field of α-a/b is not a trivial problem. 9

10 Meanwhile, which theoretical speculation? Current scenario: in the last two decades, plenty of solutions claimed by various authors to travelling to nearby stars via General Relativity pushed at its extreme consequences: wormholes, warp drives, and time machines, essentially. At least so far, known Quantum Physics rules out each solution to the field equations, which inevitably involve the so-called exotic matter, namely, an (unknown) matter characterized by one basic property: negative energy density. May any chance come from Quantum Gravity? The main problem is that we do not have a real quantum gravity theory. 10

11 Meanwhile, which theoretical speculation? Next scenario: It is to be hoped highly that the independent research into the frontier of Physics may continue to stimulate efforts in Astronautics. Conversely, the (non-destructive) activities of a conscious life should be regarded as a multidisciplinary science - fundamental in itself. As a result, Astronautics of the interstellar exploration should drive many aspects of other sciences, considered fundamental hitherto. In such framework, the unification of General Relativity Theory and Quantum Field Theory could give the Standard Model the widest possible meaning for a society aimed at exploring star systems. 11

12 In any case, no interstellar enterprise (together with many, many other endeavors) will be accomplished (or even initiated) without a TRUE GLOBAL PEACE 12