[ExI] project 'Icarus'

[scerir]

Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Can Humanity Design a Probe Capable of Visiting Another Star?
Project Icarus is an ambitious plan to reassess our ability to send a 
spacecraft to another star. But is it any more than science fiction? [Etc.]
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/25221/

Project Icarus: Son of Daedalus, Flying Closer to Another Star
Authors: K. F. Long, R. K. Obousy, A. C. Tziolas, A. Mann, R. Osborne, A. 
Presby, M. Fogg
Abstract: During the 1970s members of the British Interplanetary Society 
embarked on a landmark theoretical engineering design study to send a probe to 
Barnard's star. Project Daedalus was a two-stage vehicle employing electron 
beam driven inertial confinement fusion engines to reach its target 
destination. This paper sets out the proposal for a successor interstellar 
design study called Project Icarus. This is an attempt to redesign the Daedalus 
vehicle with similar terms of reference. The aim of this study is to evolve an 
improved engineering design and move us closer to achieving interstellar 
exploration. Although this paper does not discuss prematurely what design 
modification are likely to occur some indications are given from the nature of 
the discussions. This paper is a submission of the Project Icarus Study 
Group. 
Comments:  20 pages, 4 figures, 5 tables 
http://arxiv.org/abs/1005.3833