A Proposal for The First Crewed Interstellar Spacecraft

In this paper it is presented the concept and design of a new type of spacecraft that could be used to make the first manned interstellar travel. Solar one would integrate three near-term technologies, namely: compact nuclear fusion reactors, extremely large light sails, and high-energy laser arrays. A system of lenses or mirrors to propel the sail with sunlight is suggested as an alternative to laser propulsion. With a mile-long light sail, Solar One could reach an average of 22% the speed of light, arriving to the closest potentially habitable exoplanet in less than 19 years with the help of a Bussard scoop producing reverse electromagnetic propulsion. Key challenges are reducing the weight of continuous-wave lasers and compact fusion reactors as well as achieving cryo-sleep and artificial gravity.

Source: commons.erau.edu...

a reply to: alfa015222

We should try going back to the moon or mars first imo, us humans often require trial and error to develop efficient methods and technologies. The premise of the OP is pretty cool though, the idea of a "light sail" is super crazy. Unfortunately I am not willing to download the paper at this time.

a reply to: alfa015222

Yeah, there's that nagging little problem of "cryo-sleep" again. People have been trying that for nearly a century and it still doesn't work.

The artificial gravity part is pretty easy really, but cryo-sleep not so much.

Oh, and then there's that other minor issue of the Twin paradox. Once the star voyagers returned to Earth, the Earth would be minimally 836 years older even though they had only been sleeping for 38 years. (and this is only if they stayed for 1 day)

Once again, proof that long distance inter-stellar space travel only holds value for the traveler, not those he leaves behind.

ETA - Nice post though, so S & F for that.

"cryo-sleep" does work it just has not been proven with humans ( who will volunteer ? LOL )
Science has successfully done it with dogs' and monkeys at this point .
Of course there is also the time factor freezing dog for week if one thing doing it for 20 years you mite be little freezer brunt lol .

a reply to: midnightstar

With no ill effects? I hadn't heard of that.

Do you have a link? I'd like to learn more.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I was looking around for something I read before about other methods of cryo sleep that doesn't involve freezing and can't find it. It was something about using some kind of field of sorts to literally slow down electrons in your body or some thing like that, do you have any idea about that method?

a reply to: Brotherman

I have not heard of that. I'll poke around.

I'm having a hard time picturing how that would work.

The 1 mile solar sail would present a large problem in terms of tiny space dust.
It would have to be made of some kind of self healing material or it would be shredded on any long journey.

I have to ask...does anyone really believe scientists..somewhere..aren't testing cryogenic on humans? We live in a world with child soldiers and slave labor. It doesn't strike me as far-fetched to imagine people coming up missing to serve as lab rats.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Michigan, we got all kinds of frozen heads in Cryogenics facility near Detroit.

Honestly? Ever tried to thaw out a rock hard piece of meat?

I'm encouraged and hopeful...but we've a way to go

a reply to: alfa015222

Plans are fine until reality sets in.

Low or zero gravity will destroy the human body.
Radiation will cook the passengers.
And imagine hitting a bit of space sand at 20% light speed... can you say nuclear explosion?

a reply to: Bluntone22

A comet or an asteroid can survive micro-impacts, but this is why they're so banged up. A pressurized spacecraft cannot withstand these things without immediate attention. I'm not sure it would be a "nuclear explosion", but it would probably be an instantaneous leak, and one which would depressurize the starship before any of the occupants could be thawed out enough to deal with it (even though we can't freeze living beings for long periods of time).

Microwave ovens anyone? And we all know what those do to frozen meat, right? One leg thawed out, the breast still frozen and the other leg scorched off into the history books, with a smoking little blackened foot. YAY...I wanna' do that!

Where's the Gorilla Tape????

Encase the spaceship in a quarter mile layer of custard. Larger impacts would impart greater resistance from the sacrificial custard armour.