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Asimov DESIGN SPACE
- To: KellySt@aol.com, hous0042@maroon.tc.umn.edu, stevev@efn.org, rddesign@wolfenet.com, RUSSESS@cellpro.cellpro.com, jim@bogie2.bio.purdue.edu, David@InterWorld.com, T.L.G.vanderLinden@student.utwente.nl
- Subject: Asimov DESIGN SPACE
- From: zkulpa@lksu.ippt.gov.pl (Zenon Kulpa)
- Date: Fri, 5 Jan 96 15:47:57 +0100
- Address: Swietokrzyska 21, 00-049 Warszawa, POLAND
- Cc: zkulpa@sunet.se
- Organization: Institute of Fundamental Technological Research
> From T.L.G.vanderLinden@student.utwente.nl Fri Jan 5 11:40:02 1996
>
> Available power sources:
>
> Fission
> Solar power
> Fusion
> Chemical
> Other?
>
> Available techniques:
>
> Beaming
> Energy storage in anti-matter
> Other?
>
> Places to go to:
>
> Tau Ceti (TC)
> Alpha Centaury (AC)
> Pluto
>
> Objectives:
>
> One way trip
> Two way trip
>
> Let's assume that all the above are possibilities. What we should do is
> calculate the size and feasability and discuss the (dis)advantages for all
> cases. We should NOT try to discard a method, but only give its advantages
> and disadvantages.
> Of course we have done a lot already, only we haven't ordered it very much.
> Maybe it is time to recapitulate our discussions. I think that we need a
> complete survey, of course every one knows a lot of it, but I think that we
> don't agree about everything yet, but we also don't know exactly what these
> differences are.
> So we should try to come up with a kind of report. (Of course easier said
> than done)
>
Here I would like to remind about my attempt (a year ago)
to start recapitulation effort of all discussed options.
Below follows the sketch of the beginning ;-))
of the DESIGN SPACE summary I have started then.
There should be, of course, many more aspects
listed, like target(s), life supply
(e.g., stored food/hydroponics/farming;
all crew awake/all crew hibernates(or something)/mixed, etc.),
command structure, project financing.... &c &c.
I think listing all the discussed possibilities,
shortly and systematically, should help greatly in
clearing the matter and see the whole forest instead of only trees
(as Polish saying goes).
***************************
* *
* LIT "ASIMOV" *
* Starship Design *
* *
***************************
Progress Report
The DESIGN SPACE discussed:
1. Type of Mission:
* Robotic
* Fly-by (no braking nor stop at target)
* Exploratory (stop at target & explore)
* Pathfinder (ahead of manned one: scouting/early warning)
* Supply (after the manned: catching on the way or at target)
* Manned:
* Without crew procreation
* Suicide (explore and die before your time when supplies end)
* One-way (outpost construction and stay till natural death)
* Round-trip (return to Earth,
possibly with some crew left at the outpost)
* Multi-step (start to new target from the previous one)
* Multigenerational
* Short-range, but long (slowship)
* Long-range, thus long even though fast (fastship)
* Colonization
2. Type of Propulsion
* Main source
* All fuel on-board
* Use the interstellar medium
* Power from installations at Solar system
* Main type
* Fission
* Fusion
* Antimatter
* Sails
* Other?
3. Gravity on board
* Zero or small gravity
* Near-g gravity
* Centrifugal (rotational)
* Whole ship
* Habitat ring only
* Tethered sections
* Acceleration
* Mixed
4. Mission composition
* Single ship
* Multiple ships
* Manned plus robotic:
* Pathfinder probes
* Supply ships
----------------------------------------------------------
Hoping it may help,
-- Zenon