The Concept of Travelling to the Nearest Stars
The concept of travelling to the nearest stars developed many decades back. The thought has always looked like something that will never be possible and it solely looks practical amongst the lovers of fiction movies. The fiction movie stars have capitalized on the eagerness that human beings have to know whether the interstellar tour will be made practical anytime soon. Studies and projects have been launched considering that development of the line of thinking.
The First Study Launched by the British Interplanetary Society
The first study used to be launched by the British Interplanetary Society to invent an unmanned spacecraft that has the potential to make interstellar travel possible. The several initiatives are all directed towards tackling the question regarding the possibility of travelling to the stars. The major concerns that surround interstellar travel are related to physical and financial limits. The distance from the earth to the nearest star seems to be impossible to cover. The space conditions are also not friendly for the efforts made towards making the idea practical. The financial expenses required to make the travel possible are also a major limit. The expenses to make interstellar travel possible have frustrated the efforts made towards achieving the objective. The paper will discuss the possibility of making interstellar travel practical in terms of physical and financial limits.
The Studies and Projects by the British Interplanetary Society
The studies and projects that have been launched by the British Interplanetary Society have always kept the hope that interstellar travel will not only exist in the fiction literature. There is hope that the idea will be practical sooner than people imagined. The studies have reached closer to discovering fundamental knowledge that is needed to achieve the objective of moving from the earth to the next star. The idea of travelling to the moon seemed impractical at first but the studies and projects that were conducted made it possible. The study projects helped to overcome physical and financial challenges. Some of the main projects that have been designed to make the travel possible include; the project Daedalus as well as the most recent project Icarus (Ferreira 102).
The Challenge of Distance in Interstellar Travel
When tackling the issue of interstellar travel, the immediate challenge that manifests itself is distance. The distance between the earth and the nearest star appears to be unmanageable to cover. Transit time is normally proportional to the distance to be covered. When the space between the earth and the nearest planet is calculated, the number of years that need to be taken before landing on the destination is impractical. The only way to make the objective possible is through designing vessels that travel at the fastest speed possible. The problem of speed and distance leads to the fundamental challenge of interstellar travel; propulsion. Any propulsion system that can make the efforts practical must be capable to achieve high release to result in a high velocity of the aircraft. High velocity allows for moderate to high acceleration, a sensible cruise period that will make it possible to land on the nearest star within human life. The propulsion issue is still the main challenge in relation to interstellar travel because the present-day chemical propulsion systems, for instance, the system used on the space shuttle, and the Saturn V Rocket cannot offer sufficient energy to overcome the problem of distance and time. Studies and inventions are dictated by the challenge that stands on the way of making the travel to the stars practical. To address the propulsion issue, a major project is in progress (Paxton 112).
Overcoming the Challenges of Interstellar Travel
The challenges of achieving speeds that are fast enough, capable of generating sufficient power, and cannot burn the spacecraft are hard to achieve. During the project Daedalus, the members of the team settled on a nuclear pulse rocket that has features to overcome the problems. The idea behind the nuclear pulse rocket is the use of minute bombs that are detonated within a cusp-shaped magnetic field located at the back of the spacecraft. The energy generated by the detonation of the small bombs propels the spacecraft forward at a speed that is high enough to reach the destination. The minimum speed that ought to be achieved is 10,000 kilometers per second. The project has reached close towards the achievement of the speed but there are still other challenges. Even if the achievement of the speed is possible, a major question that arises is who would pilot the aircraft. To tackle the question, a complex autopilot system needs to be designed to steer the vessel and carry people across galaxies (Hassani 244).
The Fuel Source for Interstellar Travel
The fuel needed for propulsion of the flying machine is another major challenge that complicates the entire matter. The kind of fuel required to make the propulsion possible is another major challenge that complicates the entire matter. The source of the fuel needed to power the reactors is helium-3 isotope. The source is a huge trouble for the coordinators of the project. The fuel source must be mined from the moon by using a large hot air balloon or from the atmosphere of Jupiter. The challenges seem to be adding on the already long list. However, a report by the project members released sometime back indicates that interstellar travel is undeniably practicable (Paxton 91).
Advancements in Interstellar Travel
Despite the scientists explaining that the issues of speed and time being at the final stages, the operational archetype is yet to be designed. Viewing the projects as pipe dreams will be a disservice to the efforts made because what most space agencies and advanced learning institutions are using is based on the outcomes of the projects. In spite of the studies not achieving their objectives within an expected duration, the inventions that have been made so far give a clear indication that interstellar travel will be possible soon. The use of nuclear power to propel the aircraft is the most significant advancement that has been made and the hopes for making the idea practical are based on the discovery.
The Bussard Ramjet System for Interstellar Travel
Building of a Bussard Ramjet system will make the collection of fuel en route possible as well as making relativistic speed possible. The space of ramjet spacecraft was estimated to be almost that of light. The speed of the aircraft will make the idea be turned into reality within a short duration. Despite the promising ability of the system to overcome the physical challenges particularly of speed and time, it still has some issues that need to be fixed (Bloom 93). A major challenge that is being investigated to find a solution in relation to travelling to the nearest stars is the increased drag when the aircraft travels across the interstellar space. The practicality of interstellar travel is also centered on the many alternatives that are currently available.
The Alternative of Warp Drive
The Warp Drive is a key alternative that is expected to make the idea be fulfilled. The idea is loved by the science fiction lovers but the mechanics behind it can be applied to achieve the mission. The system functions by manipulating the gravitational field of space to flop and expand the distance in the middle of the spacecraft and any destination that is at a distant point. With the advancements that have been made through the discovery of sophisticated spacecraft, the hope of overcoming the physical limit that makes the turning of the dream into a reality remains high. The trend of discoveries and the direction of the projects will soon make interstellar travel a reality.
The Financial Implications of Interstellar Travel
The costs involved in launching spacecraft to the nearest star present a key challenge and a major limitation in relation to making the idea of interstellar travel practical. Inventions have been made and as it is, the physical limitation is no longer considered a major hindrance. The financial implications that come along the efforts to make it possible are hard to be achieved. The cost of transporting the payload using the technology required to reach the nearest star is immense. The cost of a single launch is estimated at round $60 million. To make the entire issue achievable in the real world, financial resources need to be directed towards the projects as well as the trials required to test the practicability of the technological advancements that have been made so far. Finance remains a major limitation because there are no sufficient sources of finance to turn the dream into a reality (Pinheiro 08). To overcome the financial problem, people and organizations have committed to direct funds towards making the vision possible. Some of the private funders that are devoted to ensuring that it turns into a reality include the Russian billionaires Julia and Yuri Milner. Such contributions will help to overcome the financial limits. Basing on the discoveries that have been realized and the promising sources of finances, interstellar travel will be made practical sooner than what many individuals imagine.
Works Cited
- Bloom, Steven D. "The Physics and Astronomy of Science Fiction: Understanding Interstellar Travel, Teleportation, Time Travel, Alien Life and Other Genre Fixtures." 2016.
- Hassani, Sadri. "Interstellar Travel." Special Relativity, 2017, pp. 229-253.
- L. ferreira jr., Moacir. "Interstellar Space Travel using Phase-shifted Electrodynamic Propulsion." SciVee, 2010.
- Paxton, Dannie. "Interstellar Travel (manned or Unmanned Travel between Stars)." Orange Apple, 2012.
- Pinheiro, Mario J. "Foreword." Field Propulsion System for Space Travel: Physics of Non-Conventional Propulsion Method for Interstellar Travel, 2011, pp. i-i.
