[ExI] DARPA funded 100 year starship program

[BillK]

On Tue, Oct 19, 2010 at 1:15 AM, John Grigg  wrote:
> Well, at least DARPA seems capable of longterm thinking...
>
>
> <http://www.kurzweilai.net/nasa-ames-worden-reveals-darpa-funded-hundred-year-starship-program?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter>
>
>


More information is now available.
Apparently DARPA are NOT planning to build a starship. The
commentators got a bit over-excited.

<http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=15147>

Quote:
DARPA’s press release actually deals with HOW starships should be
studied, rather than studying the starships themselves. They want help
from Ames to consider the business case for a non-government
organization to provide such services that would use philanthropic
donations to make it happen. Quoting from DARPA’s news release: “The
100-Year Starship study looks to develop the business case for an
enduring organization designed to incentivize breakthrough
technologies enabling future spaceflight.”

<http://www.darpa.mil/news/2010/starshipnewsrelease.pdf>

Quote from the press release:
“We endeavor to excite several generations to commit to the research
and development of breakthrough technologies and cross-cutting
innovations across a myriad of disciplines such as physics,
mathematics, biology, economics, and psychological, social, political
and cultural sciences, as well as the full range of engineering
disciplines to advance the goal of long-distance space travel, but
also to benefit mankind.”
------------


This may come as a surprise to many, as DARPA is a military defense agency. (!)


But DARPA adds...
"DARPA also anticipates that the advancements achieved by such
technologies will have substantial relevance to Department of Defense
(DoD) mission areas including propulsion, energy storage, biology/life
support, computing, structures, navigation, and others.
-------------------------


Ah-ha! That explains it. DARPA's plan is apparently to encourage
private funding of breakthrough technologies that DARPA can make use
of in military endeavours.

So not quite so wonderful as at first sight.


BillK