Engineered Starships

1953, Engineering physics for interstellar travel, Eugen Sanger, “Eugen Sänger, Zur Theorie der Photonenraketen.” (Vortrag auf dem 4. Internationalen Astronautischen Kongreß in Zürich 1953).- Ing. Arch. 21 (1953), S. 213-226.- Probleme der Weltraumforschung, Verlag Laupscher, Biel 1954, S. 32-40.

“Re-thinking the Antimatter Rocket”

“The Interstellar Conundrum Reconsidered”

Image Credit:Young Technician

1958, “Project Orion” using nuclear detonation propulsion, S. Ulam, T. Taylor, & F. Dyson, “Nuclear Pulse Space Vehicle Study,” General Atomic.

“Beginnings of the Interstellar Idea”

“An Interstellar Provocation”

“Can Project Orion Be Re-Born?”

“Looking Back at Orion”

1960, “Bussard Ramjet” using on-the-fly-fusing of indigenous space protons, R. Bussard, “Galactic Matter and Interstellar Flight,” Astronautica Acta.

“A Brief Window”

“Catalyzed Fusion: Tuning Up the Ramjet”

“Remembering Robert Bussard”

“Tuning Up the Interstellar Ramjet”

“Braking Against a Stellar Wind”

1977, “Voyager 1 & 2″ using a chemical rocket, JPL et al (http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/index.html), Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

“Voyager and the Will to Explore” 

“Reflections on a Mythic Voyager”

“Voyager 1 Nearing Interstellar Space”

“Voyager in the Doldrums”

“The Enduring Legacy of the Voyagers”

Credit: NASA

Credit: Alex Szames

1978, “Project Daedalus,” using a nuclear fusion rocket, Alan Bond, et al, British Interplanetary Society

“Remembering Project Daedalus”

“Fusion and the Starship”

Daedalus size compared to Saturn V moon rocket. 

1984, Laser-beamed sail, Robert Forward, “Roundtrip Interstellar Travel Using Laser-Pushed Lightsails,” Journal of Spacecraft & Rockets.

“Laser Beamed Interstellar Mission: A New Take”

“Laser Beaming to Boost Solar Sails”

1985, “Starwisp” using beamed microwave energy to sails, R. Forward, “Starwisp: an Ultralight Interstellar Probe,” American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

“The Case for Beamed Sails”

“Remembering Starwisp”

1987, “VISTA” using a nuclear fusion rocket, Charles D. Orth, “VISTA – A Vehicle for Interplanetary Space Transport Application Powered by Inertial Confinement Fusion,” Lawrence Livermore National Lab.

“Creating Stars in the Laboratory”

“Prior Visions of Star Flight”

... Will the designer/artist of this image please contact us for due credit.

1987, “TAU (Thousand Astronomical Units)” using nuclear-electric ion propulsion, JPL, et al, “Tau — A Mission to a Thousand Astronomical Units,” Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

“A Practical Mission to the Interstellar Medium”

“Dark Energy: Calibrating Standard Candles”

Image: An earlier concept called Realistic Interstellar Explorer, a key step in refining the design for the current mission concept. 

1988, “Project Longshot” using nuclear pulse propulsion, Beals, K. A., M. Beaulieu, F. J. Dembia, J. Kerstiens, D. L. Kramer, J. R. West and J. A. Zito, “Project Longshot: An Unmanned Probe To Alpha Centauri,” U. S Naval Academy.

“Project Longshot: Fast Probe to Centauri”

... Will the designer/artist of this image please contact us for due credit.

1999, “AIMStar” using antimatter catalyzed nuclear propulsion, Raymond A. Lewis, Kirby Meyer, Gerald A. Smith and Steven D. Howe, “AIMStar: Antimatter Initiated Microfusion For Pre-cursor Interstellar Missions,” Pennsylvania State University.

“Antimatter’s Advantages (and the Catch)”

“A Practical Positron Rocket?”

ICAN-II a precursor to AIMStar, shown open and closed.

2003, “Innovative Interstellar Explorer” using nuclear electric rocket, Ralph McNutt, “Mission Design for the Innovative Interstellar Explorer Vision Mission” NASA (ongoing).

“Update on Innovative Interstellar Explorer”

“Innovative Interstellar Explorer: A Response to Questions”

An early Innovative Interstellar Explorer design concept. 

2009, “Project Icarus,” using nuclear fusion rocket, Icarus Interstellar (numerous papers, ongoing).

“Project Icarus: Contemplating Starship Design”

“Icarus: Revisiting the Daedalus Starship”

“Project Icarus: Finding the Fuel”

Icarus accelerating. 

2012, Gravitational Lens Deep Space Probe Design, 2^nd Lt. Berkley Davis, Masters Thesis, US AFIT.  Based on Commercially available hardware to determine realistic baseline

“The FOCAL Mission: To the Sun’s Gravity Lens”

“A FOCAL Mission into the Oort Cloud”

“The Gravitational Lens and Communications”