Centauri Dreams: Imagining and Planning Interstellar Exploration - Hardcover

Gilster, Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 038700436X ISBN 13: 9780387004365

Publisher: Copernicus, 2004

Synopsis

I wrote this book because I wanted to learn more about interstel­ lar flight. Not the Star Trek notion of tearing around the Galaxy in a huge spaceship-that was obviously beyond existing tech­ nology-but a more realistic mission. In 1989 I had videotaped Voyager 2's encounter with Neptune and watched the drama of robotic exploration over and over again. I started to wonder whether we could do something similar with Alpha Centauri, the nearest star to the Sun. Everyone seemed to agree that manned flight to the stars was out of the question, if not permanently then for the indefinitely foreseeable future. But surely we could do something with robotics. And if we could figure out a theoretical way to do it, how far were we from the actual technology that would make it happen? In other words, what was the state of our interstellar technology today, those concepts and systems that might translate into a Voyager to the stars? Finding answers meant talking to people inside and outside of NASA. I was surprised to learn that there is a large literature of interstellar flight. Nobody knows for sure how to propel a space­ craft fast enough to make the interstellar crossing within a time scale that would fit the conventional idea of a mission, but there are candidate systems that are under active investigation. Some of this effort begins with small systems that we'll use near the Earth and later hope to extend to deep space missions.

About this title

Review

"Science and SF writer Gilster s latest isn t only an enlightening tour of propulsion and communication systems and the materials that might take us (in unmanned or even manned probes) to Centauri triple-star system 4.3 light years away (nearby in interstellar terms). The book is also a plea to remember that the urge to explore the unknown is what makes us human and that the future may not be as far away as we think. What separates this work from many scientific explorations of topics typically relegated to science fiction is that none of the methods described require breakthroughs in physics: we need no faster-than-light travel, no warp drive, no hyperspace or wormholes. All today s scientists need is the time, funding, and license to turn their thought experiments into engineering problems. Like a master kite flyer, Gilster slowly lets out the line and allows the magnificent dreams of interstellar flight to soar describing the relevant technologies we already possess then he reels readers back in by pointing out the lack of funding and distance these theories still need to go before becoming reality. The technologies include sails that capture light instead of wind; a combination of fusion and antimatter reactions; and artificially intelligent computer systems that evolve over time. Metaphors and examples based on common experience put the science in perspective. This work is not only a clear, well-thought-out explanation of theoretical science and engineering but also food for the soul of anyone who has ever thought that space is a great adventure waiting to happen." --Publishers Weekly, Jan. 10, 2005

" Centauri Dreams consists of a thorough analysis of the alternative propulsion technologies ... . This analysis is tastefully interspersed with numerous references to science-fiction ideas and writers, reflecting Gilster s wide ranging knowledge of real science and his passion for science fiction literature. ... This book is very well researched, and was for me an enjoyable read, one that I m sure will be well enjoyed by science-fiction aficionados and hard-nosed realists alike!" --Gerard Mc Mahon, Astronomy & Space, April, 2006

"The fastest manmade vehicle is now Voyager 1, heading out of the solar system. It could cross the US in less than four minutes. Even at that speed it will take 70,000 years to reach the nearest star, Alpha Centauri. ... Paul Gilster s book explores the terrain at the frontiers of hard logic and hairy thinking. Interstellar travel is now part of imagination s landscape. ... The interstellar idea, says Gilster, in this exhilarating book, is taking shape." --Tim Radford, The Guardian, March, 2005

Synopsis

Why, today, would anyone undertake a plan to launch a spacecraft some 30 years in the future, and on a journey that would take some 40 years to complete? Paul Gilster investigates the science, and the spirit, of the NASA and JPL researchers who are actually at work on just such a project.'Gilster introduces the challenges of imagining and planning interstellar exploration by leading readers through the difficulties of reaching and exploring the nearest bright star, Alpha Centauri. Seeded by ideas and concepts of the late Robert Forward, the narrative is framed as a learning process undertaken simultaneously by writer and reader. Although Alpha Centauri is astronomically nearby, a postulated trip by robot spacecraft, followed by manned exploration, would take 50 to 1,000 years, depending on the type of spacecraft propulsion used. Various methods for interstellar travel are introduced and discussed, including solar sails that use the power of starlight, nuclear fusion, antimatter hybrid systems, and beamed laser propulsion' - W. E. Howard III, "CHOICE", March 2005.'

One challenge is to get there in a reasonable time so that funding support, public interest, and events on Earth will not divert attention from the mission. Another challenge is timing the mission relative to available technology, because with better technology it might be possible to send a later robot on the same mission in less time. The book has no figures, tables, or illustrations but does include 30 pages of notes and an adequate 14-page index. Though the concepts presented are often fanciful, this book will appeal to readers who wonder about the future of exploration beyond the solar system. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; professionals' - W. E. Howard III, "CHOICE", March 2005.

Edition details

• Publisher: Copernicus
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 038700436X
• ISBN 13: 9780387004365
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 317