Darpa makes a grant for 100 year Starship Study

TextThe Washington Post, Wednesday, May 23, 2012 --- by Brian Vastag

"Humanity's journey to the stars is beginning with ... a modest government grant.

The dreamers at the Defense Advanced Research Agency last week announced an award of $500,000 to a former astronaut [ Mae Jemision,] to someday --- send explorers to another star system.

It's a huge job, impractical with existing technology. That's why the 100 Year Starship Study project will start by building a community of space enthusiasts, engineers, technologists, futurists, scientists and dreamers to chip away at a panoply of technical, financial and social challenges --- while seeking funds to keep the effort afloat.

In its grant solicitation, DARPA wrote that it wants to 'foster a rebirth of a sense of wonder' while encouraging research that will pay dividends here on Earth.

Jemison's first organizational challenge is getting a 100 Year Starship conference off the ground in Houston this September. Within a century, she wants the project to fund and foster the technologies needed to build a starship.

In beating out 20 competitors for the grant, Jemison tapped a group of scientists and engineers already studying how to travel to the stars. They call themselves Icarus Interstellar, and one of their advisors, planetary scientist Ralph McNutt of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, called the 100 Year Starship 'an opportunity to get beyond the realm of science fiction.' He likened our current space vehicles to 'dugout canoes.' But someday, he said, we'll have the equivalent of ocean liners in space."

Sorry mod's, about my mistake on the quoted post typo.... will know better next time.


Our fellow Earthling's, will probably be waiting a long time for starship's as big as ocean liner's, but a smaller two or six-manned starship should not be out of the question. Maybe myself, or other members and guests can give their two-cents about starship propulsion to the 100 Year Study. I still have a couple of pennies in my pocket about starship propulsion. Would anybody like to here them? Feel free to post your own theory's... or just give Houston a call.

Cheers,

Erno86

$500,000

....



That is nothing

In Jemison, the agency tapped not only a space traveler --- in 1992 she became the first woman of color to leave Earth, on the space shuttle --- but a physician, engineer, entrepreneur and champion of science education. Her vision: Generate excitement for a grand human adventure.

"Its got to be a global aspiration," said Jemison.

I call dibs on the offworld recon. As a former combat cavalry vet, I'm still in my prime and have leadership experience. Of course space travel would be absolutely new, however I doubt they would even be interested.

Space Cav, as if...lol

"The first step is to get the seed money to grow into something more while also getting the public engaged," said Mae Jemison, the former astronaut whom DARPA chose to head the effort. "It has to become something that has its own momentum."

reply to post by ADVISOR


I've got second dibs.... as I would love to travel to the stars and survey other star system's; since I'am a land surveyor hungry for other-worlder contact.





Foofighter's

Erno86

how does one get recognized as a 'futurist' of all things?
any of us here have dithered away our time proclaiming this and that as possibilities for space travel,
$500,000 please.

but really, we need to start really small and slow, cannot rush ANYTHING, we need to upgrade the technology every chance we get, and become accustomed with how this stuff works like we can work a computer.

also we need super computers and AI computers to begin the process of Starship studies.
we could work with the AI to develop prototypes etc...and the supercomputers for onboard systems etc...

A starship .. will have to be built as "tough as nails," so to speak, preferably a 4 manned flying saucer would fit the bill. It will have to be a starship..."that takes a licking a keeps on ticking."

Another sideways attempt to get us up to speed with craft that we already have. That be the triangles, derived from UFOs.

That is the only explanation that makes sense, a propaganda move for the day we are told that we already have about the same hardware. Next, I suppose they will be selling tickets.

Strange, you should think, NASA seemingly dropped the ball with a shuttle replacement, the ISS will supposedly be abandoned shortly and they want us to think about star-crossing?

It does not add up and you can't make it add up unless for the reason I set forth in the beginning sentence.
(Which is exactly what Lockheed executives told us over ten years ago.)

reply to post by yourmaker



I don't know... but I would not mind being called a futurist in the meantime; since I'm probably one at heart anyway.

Yet, starship technology is workable --- all you have to do is look towards the sky, and if you are in the right place and the right time, as I've been fortunate to have been --- you could see an other-worlder starship as I have. Look... the technology is out there, because the other-worlder's like to lead by example; by flaunting their starship's in front of our eyes!!!

Originally posted by Aliensun
Another sideways attempt to get us up to speed with craft that we already have. That be the triangles, derived from UFOs.

YAWN YAWN ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ