session 4

Title

Interstellar Exploration - Strategies, Capabilities and Opportunities

type

oral

Description

Interstellar space exploration – visiting another star—has engaged the intellect and imagination of people across time and the across globe. A sober, serious examination of achieving the scientific, technological, and societal capabilities required for interstellar flight—travel beyond our solar system to another star—reveals one undeniable fact—it is very, very difficult. The extreme challenges exist not only within a single discipline, for example, propulsion; revolutionary advances must be made across the range of human knowledge, skills and experience including biological and human social structures. New integrated systems and technologies must be contemplated. And this is exactly what imbues the interstellar journey with such compelling opportunities to benefit not only current space exploration, but also life here on Earth. Interstellar pushes us to think beyond the commonplace and small increments. This session seeks to define specific strategies, capabilities, technologies, and knowledge systems leading to major advances in areas such as: safe, reliable, propulsion and energy systems; life support, crew habitability and health; creation of viable star-bound space communities; enhanced robotics, automation, intelligent systems and equipment to use extra-terrestrial resources; opportunities for industry in space; navigation and computation; transfer of these advancements to benefit and enrich the quality of life on earth; connection to and improvement of the vitality of capabilities to establish human presence on the moon, Mars, or elsewhere in the solar system that will lead the way to the stars; assess and evolve technologies like solar sails, laser propulsion, fusion engines that are on the horizon. Clearly this is list is incomplete and a key objective of the session is to also find the gaps. Papers presented in this session are expected to provide rigorous grounding, references and justification from existing fields of study from social sciences, physical sciences, life sciences, materials, computer sciences to arts and communication, governance, the marketplace, manufacturing – whether concepts are stepwise or discontinuous.

IPC members

• Co-Chair: Dr. Mae Jemison, 100 Year Starship, United States;

• Co-Chair: Prof. Giancarlo Genta, Politecnico di Torino, Italy;

• Rapporteur: Mr. Les Johnson, United States;