100 Year Starship Initiative, Website Up

[Inceptor]

The 100 Year Starship Initiative, sparked by initial funding from DARPA, and off and rolling on its own now, has just launched its website.
The goal is construction of the first starship 100 years from now. Or failing that to spur technological and scientific development, in order to make it at least feasible, 100 years from now.

http://100yss.org/

[NinkobEi]

interesting idea I guess. though any designs for the starship in the next 70 years will probably just get discarded. Any investments will have 100 years to get embezzled by a sleazy accountant. Its a really long time to prepare in advance

[Fourstaff]

We need more projects like this! Long ago we had Great Wall, Pyramids, Grand Canal, etc. Now we have White House, EU, etc. Seems that people were a lot more focused in the past than now.

[twilyth]

We need more projects like this! Long ago we had Great Wall, Pyramids, Grand Canal, etc. Now we have White House, EU, etc. Seems that people were a lot more focused in the past than now.
I agree, but the one difference thousands of years ago was the fact that technology wasn't a factor - it was relatively stagnant. I mean we name entire ages after the most advanced materials of the time - stone age --> bronze age --> iron age. At the current rate of change, 100 years may as well be 1000 or 10000. There's just no way to know what we'll be capable of in a hundred years.

[erocker]

We need more projects like this!

Agreed. Like getting rid of hunger, disease, inequality, etc. I think we should take care of our affairs before we go spreading ourselves as a plague to the universe.

[Delta6326]

This sounds horrible! I'm going to be dead by then! *kicks rock, puts hands in pocket lowers head and walks into the sunset*

[Fourstaff]

I agree, but the one difference thousands of years ago was the fact that technology wasn't a factor - it was relatively stagnant. I mean we name entire ages after the most advanced materials of the time - stone age --> bronze age --> iron age. At the current rate of change, 100 years may as well be 1000 or 10000. There's just no way to know what we'll be capable of in a hundred years.

We have the help of rapidly advancing tech, all they had was their hands and a few tools! Shame on us :/

[FordGT90Concept]

Makes sense DARPA would fund something like this. Why maintain a huge bomber fleet when you could have one star ship do all the bombing for you from...SPPPAAAAAAACCCCEEEEEEE!!! Sorry, I couldn't resist.


We need more projects like this! Long ago we had Great Wall, Pyramids, Grand Canal, etc. Now we have White House, EU, etc. Seems that people were a lot more focused in the past than now.
The emphasis is on social issues of the here and now and not solving long-term problems like Earth's resources eventually being exhausted. It's much easier for the sheeple to see a lack of jobs as an issue than the distant lack of iron being an issue.


Agreed. Like getting rid of hunger, disease, inequality, etc. I think we should take care of our affairs before we go spreading ourselves as a plague to the universe.
Exactly my point. Humanity is doomed to fail if we only focus on the here and now. The massive accomplishments of the past, what were they directed at? The afterlife. Why shouldn't every decision we make today be based upon our great-grand children's well being 100 years from now? Our current trajectory is effectively digging our own graves; future generations be damned.


We put a man on the moon in a few decades. With enough resources, there's no reason why we couldn't make a space ship the size of an aircraft carrier (or 5) that is self-sustaining in about the same time. In fact, that's exactly what we should be doing. Space travel technologies aren't going to take the necessary leaps and bounds forward without such a program. Remember, most things learned from such a project can be applied to problems here on Earth.

[DannibusX]

Hmmm.

DARPA discovered Kickstarter.

[FordGT90Concept]

DARPA invented the Internet. No DARPA, no Kickstarter. :p

[Fourstaff]

The emphasis is on social issues of the here and now and not solving long-term problems like Earth's resources eventually being exhausted. It's much easier for the sheeple to see a lack of jobs as an issue than the distant lack of iron being an issue.

That is why we need dictators to lead the sheeple! :roll:

[Red_Machine]

While I support the idea of something like this, it still depresses and pisses me off that I won't ever get to see it bear fruit. I want to sit in the captain's chair, dammit!

[Fourstaff]

While I support the idea of something like this, it still depresses and pisses me off that I won't ever get to see it bear fruit. I want to sit in the captain's chair, dammit!

Blame your grandparents for not starting this project earlier then :p

[NC37]

Agreed. Like getting rid of hunger, disease, inequality, etc. I think we should take care of our affairs before we go spreading ourselves as a plague to the universe.

Yeah and we have done what to solve that in thousands of years? Nothing...we've got a society now that has grown completely complacent. One way or another, those fall apart.

Our future is in space, not here. Need resources? That is where they are waiting. Our solar system alone is a gold mine. Raw materials on multiple worlds + asteroids, water in the moons of Jupiter and Saturn...come on, they are like stepping stones. Expanding onto other worlds/moons will create more room. Take stress off the home planet. Eventually move the entire space program to space itself. Manufacturing ships in zero G will be a heck of a lot easier than down here.

[qubit]

I'd never be interested in joining a project where the fruits of my labour would only ever be realized long after I'm dead. The results from this are speculative, too. What a crock.

[Fourstaff]

I'd never be interested in joining a project where the fruits of my labour would only ever be realized long after I'm dead. The results from this are speculative, too. What a crock.

All the politicians have the same train of thought as you do: "I'd never be interested in making the country better when the fruits of my labour will only be realised when I retire". :shadedshu

I would personally want to join a project where the fruits of my labour will not realise until decades after I die, that is how I want to leave my mark in the world, rather than having an elaborate tomb saying "I waz here!"

[FreedomEclipse]

This sounds horrible! I'm going to be dead by then! *kicks rock, puts hands in pocket lowers head and walks into the sunset*

chin up.

Maybe by that time they would have found ways to download or transfer peoples brains onto a invincible cyborg so that even when the flesh is dead the brain will live on!! - somewhat Ghost In The Shell'esk

though the idea scares me a little but at the end of the day would you rather be dead and gone or 'live on' in an artificial body potentially as an Ai that still holds your soul and personality?

[KieranD]

Agreed. Like getting rid of hunger, disease, inequality, etc. I think we should take care of our affairs before we go spreading ourselves as a plague to the universe.

That's the thing that gets me the most, we can solve problems like hunger and the impeding energy crisis. No offence to anyone with AIDs for example but when someone dies of a simple disease or problem we can prevent and solve right now well its sad; those are easily preventable deaths yet we go after less preventable and future projects. Same deal with this starship, what's the point if our own backyard needs attention.

[FordGT90Concept]

Hunger is an emotion we all feel every day. Disease is a means to prevent overpopulation. Inequality is a certainty for we are not born equal (e.g. the disabled).

Preventable? They embody humanity.


How crapy would our lives be today if science hasn't given us a 1000 uses for a barrel of oil? It's time to reach for the next "age" and only space is going to fast track it.

[NinkobEi]

That's the thing that gets me the most, we can solve problems like hunger and the impeding energy crisis. No offence to anyone with AIDs for example but when someone dies of a simple disease or problem we can prevent and solve right now well its sad; those are easily preventable deaths yet we go after less preventable and future projects. Same deal with this starship, what's the point if our own backyard needs attention.

This is seriously flawed logic. I'm glad you don't lead anything besides your household.

[AphexDreamer]

I want it now!

[Mussels]

awwww fail, i want it in 20 years so i can tag along.

[qubit]

Agreed. Like getting rid of hunger, disease, inequality, etc. I think we should take care of our affairs before we go spreading ourselves as a plague to the universe.

Damned straight. Plague - about right.

All the politicians have the same train of thought as you do: "I'd never be interested in making the country better when the fruits of my labour will only be realised when I retire". :shadedshu

I would personally want to join a project where the fruits of my labour will not realise until decades after I die, that is how I want to leave my mark in the world, rather than having an elaborate tomb saying "I waz here!"

Yeah, you're right too; it depends on what makes you happy. It's similar, but not quite the same with politicians staying in office for a limited time though. Can't really go into that here though. Feel free to discuss this over at GN if you like. :) Just send me a PM with a link.

[Lionheart]

Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me.

Take me out to the black
Tell them I ain't comin' back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me.

Leave the men where they lay
They'll never see another day
Lost my soul, lost my dream
You can't take the sky from me.

I feel the black reaching out
I hear its song without a doubt
I still hear and I still see
That you can't take the sky from me.

Lost my love, lost my land
Lost the last place I could stand
There's no place I can be
Since I've found Serenity

And you can't take the sky from me.

:toast:

[H82LUZ73]

Agreed. Like getting rid of hunger, disease, inequality, etc. I think we should take care of our affairs before we go spreading ourselves as a plague to the universe.

Amen Brother....Too the dictator comment was Mosses one?,I mean he lead his Hebrew flock out of 400 years of slavery,If we as a human race have to call one other a name then we have no right to be in space,until we get rid of the so called 1% who we make to be celebrity like ....those who know what 1% means .......that is what holds us up ,do we as a race lower our standards to theirs?


Yeah and we have done what to solve that in thousands of years? Nothing...we've got a society now that has grown completely complacent. One way or another, those fall apart.

Our future is in space, not here. Need resources? That is where they are waiting. Our solar system alone is a gold mine. Raw materials on multiple worlds + asteroids, water in the moons of Jupiter and Saturn...come on, they are like stepping stones. Expanding onto other worlds/moons will create more room. Take stress off the home planet. Eventually move the entire space program to space itself. Manufacturing ships in zero G will be a heck of a lot easier than down here.

Just like in Star Trek right ,,,Speaking of which you fellow Trekkers will be happy to know ST2 is coming 2013 :)

[Mussels]

Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me.

Take me out to the black
Tell them I ain't comin' back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me.

Leave the men where they lay
They'll never see another day
Lost my soul, lost my dream
You can't take the sky from me.

I feel the black reaching out
I hear its song without a doubt
I still hear and I still see
That you can't take the sky from me.

Lost my love, lost my land
Lost the last place I could stand
There's no place I can be
Since I've found Serenity

And you can't take the sky from me.

:toast:

you win a cookie.

[RejZoR]

Yeah, it's time for us to send real space crafts into space, not just jet engines and tiny bit of crew and cargo. Space Shuttles were really closest to that at the moment. At least until they scraped them...

[Red_Machine]

Speaking of which you fellow Trekkers will be happy to know ST2 is coming 2013 :)

No I won't. And it's not Star Trek 2. That was The Wrath of Khan thirty years ago.

[H82LUZ73]

Yeah, it's time for us to send real space crafts into space, not just jet engines and tiny bit of crew and cargo. Space Shuttles were really closest to that at the moment. At least until they scraped them...

RIP Space Shuttles......In Our minds and hearts forever ,now for an ode to them..........(I remember this is my first time watching RUSH.....)

Countdown Lyrics
Performed by Rush
Review The Song (7)

Lit up with anticipation
We arrive at the launching site
The sky is still dark, nearing dawn
On the Florida coastline

Circling choppers slash the night
With roving searchlight beams
This magic day when super-science
Mingles with the bright stuff of dreams

Floodlit in the hazy distance
The star of this unearthly show
Venting vapours, like the breath
Of a sleeping white dragon

Crackling speakers, voices tense
Resume the final count
All systems check, T minus nine
As the sun and the drama start to mount

The air is charged
A humid, motionless mass
The crowds and the cameras,
The cars full of spectators pass
Excitement so thick you could cut it with a knife
Technology...high, on the leading edge of life

The earth beneath us starts to tremble
With the spreading of a low black cloud
A thunderous roar shakes the air
Like the whole world exploding

Scorching blast of golden fire
As it slowly leaves the ground
Tears away with a mighty force
The air is shattered by the awesome sound

Like a pillar of cloud
The smoke lingers high in the air
In fascination
With the eyes of the world
We stare...

Chocolate chip cookie :)

No I won't. And it's not Star Trek 2. That was The Wrath of Khan thirty years ago.

Uhm NOPE The reboot ST2 .........whistles.......http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1408101/ Also dubbed ST2 from Chris Pine himself......

[Red_Machine]

Uhm NOPE The reboot ST2 .........whistles.......http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1408101/ Also dubbed ST2 from Chris Pine himself......

Chris Pine is a moron. I don't even consider them Trek films because of how WRONG they got everything. Spock had been in Starfleet for at least 20 years before Kirk joined, first contact with the Cardassians wasn't until the 2330s and the journey from Earth to Vulcan at warp 4 would take a hell of a lot longer than four minutes. Not to mention the top speed of the COnstitution class was warp 7.

That film was riddled with so many errors it made my flesh crawl.

[Vulpesveritas]

Fact: Earth will eventually run out of resources to exploit, especially metals and food.
Fact: The asteroid belt is full of resources, from rare metals, to water and carbon.
Fact: It takes less energy to mine asteroids than it would to colonize the moon.
Conclusion: We really should look at doing some mining...

[Jizzler]

Chris Pine is a moron. I don't even consider them Trek films because of how WRONG they got everything. Spock had been in Starfleet for at least 20 years before Kirk joined, first contact with the Cardassians wasn't until the 2330s and the journey from Earth to Vulcan at warp 4 would take a hell of a lot longer than four minutes. Not to mention the top speed of the COnstitution class was warp 7.

That film was riddled with so many errors it made my flesh crawl.

Events? Nothing to get wrong when you place it in an alternate timeline :D

It could go faster, but IIRC the ship was damaged and limited to warp 4. Correct though, is that the time to travel from Earth to Vulcan is much greater than 4 minutes, regardless if TOS or TNG+ warp math is used.

[lilhasselhoffer]

Fact: Earth will eventually run out of resources to exploit, especially metals and food.
Fact: The asteroid belt is full of resources, from rare metals, to water and carbon.
Fact: It takes less energy to mine asteroids than it would to colonize the moon.
Conclusion: We really should look at doing some mining...

In the same vein:

Fact: The moon is closer to Earth than the Keiper belt.
Fact: The Keiper belt is the closest source of asteroids/meteors to Earth.
Fact: The moon can be used as a jumping point from Earth to the Keiper belt.
Fact: He3 exists on the moon, and can be processed into a fuel source for any future mining endeavour.

Closing with the biggest one:
Fact: There are no well funded initiatives to colonize the moon currently. People are more worried about things close to home (global economic crises, finding basic resources, etc...) than to those big dreams of people who are lucky enough to have their basic needs.


So, yeah. I understand the allure of real life starships. I also think that people have more to deal with at home than they would like to admit, so dreaming about a utopia in space is a good way to distract from the current suffering. Whenever this project is killed I won't shed a tear, but I would like to see the mentality applied to more immediate and pressing needs...

[twilyth]

Fact: Earth will eventually run out of resources to exploit, especially metals and food.
Fact: The asteroid belt is full of resources, from rare metals, to water and carbon.
Fact: It takes less energy to mine asteroids than it would to colonize the moon.
Conclusion: We really should look at doing some mining...

James Cameron and a consortium of investors already beat you to it.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/04/26/asteroid-mining-no-crazier-than-deep-sea-drilling-advocates-say/

[Vulpesveritas]

In the same vein:

Fact: The moon is closer to Earth than the Keiper belt.
Fact: The Keiper belt is the closest source of asteroids/meteors to Earth.
Fact: The moon can be used as a jumping point from Earth to the Keiper belt.
Fact: He3 exists on the moon, and can be processed into a fuel source for any future mining endeavour.

Closing with the biggest one:
Fact: There are no well funded initiatives to colonize the moon currently. People are more worried about things close to home (global economic crises, finding basic resources, etc...) than to those big dreams of people who are lucky enough to have their basic needs.


So, yeah. I understand the allure of real life starships. I also think that people have more to deal with at home than they would like to admit, so dreaming about a utopia in space is a good way to distract from the current suffering. Whenever this project is killed I won't shed a tear, but I would like to see the mentality applied to more immediate and pressing needs...

At the same time, many of the things which are happening at home are going to have to be fought on different grounds. Namely the hunger, disease, inequality - these things are unlikely to go away, until we get nanobots and a political system that does not exist for profit. On that same vein, said political systems need to become tolerant in order to advance ahead. The way things are now, we really just need to stop looking back at previous trends of justifying war with religion, suspician, and resources, and instead actually create a one world government by the people, for the people, and of the people, with true freedoms and an educational system within which tolerance is taught, as well as a higher respect for sciences.

And unfortunatly as things are, we have way too many idiots and greed-driven individuals who don't care about the future in office around the world. Until that changes, very little can be done at home.

However, we can at least make a push for space colonization, so at the very least if said idiots at home end up killing us all off, or a comet comes swinging by, at least some of us will survive.

So eh, pretty much there is no straightforward solution for how it should be approached.

[Delta6326]

though the idea scares me a little but at the end of the day would you rather be dead and gone or 'live on' in an artificial body potentially as an Ai that still holds your soul and personality?

I would rather be dead :)

This sounds awesome and I so wanna watch Star Trek now Go Iowa!

I would totally help out and spend the rest of my time helping build a starship as long as my name can at least be put some where on the ship.
http://img.techpowerup.org/120426/Capture060.jpg
http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/blueprints/uss-enterprise-ncc-1701-b-sheet-12.jpg

[twilyth]

I would rather be dead :)

This sounds awesome and I so wanna watch Star Trek now Go Iowa!

I would totally help out and spend the rest of my time helping build a starship as long as my name can at least be put some where on the ship.
http://img.techpowerup.org/120426/Capture060.jpg
http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/blueprints/uss-enterprise-ncc-1701-b-sheet-12.jpg
You can always go for cryonic suspension - alcor (http://www.alcor.org/)

[Inceptor]

In the same vein:

Fact: The moon is closer to Earth than the Keiper belt.
Fact: The Keiper belt is the closest source of asteroids/meteors to Earth.
Fact: The moon can be used as a jumping point from Earth to the Keiper belt.
Fact: He3 exists on the moon, and can be processed into a fuel source for any future mining endeavour.


The Kuiper belt is beyond the orbit of Neptune, the closest asteroids are the near-earth asteroids, which orbit within the inner solar system.
The Moon isn't the best jumping-off point for further exploration. It's likely that money will be spent to go there and stay, at least semi-permanently, but it's probably more energy efficient to go straight to Mars or theAsteroid belt -- it would take longer but it's a more efficient use of energy. The orbital mechanics would be a bit more challenging but I think the energy expenditure would be smaller to get to a near-earth asteroid, than to land on the Moon.
The Moon is the next Antarctica; scientific bases, expensive tourism. Maybe something economic, at some point.
He3 is only useful for nuclear fusion; fusion reactors have to actually become feasible (produce more energy than is put into them), then successfully miniaturized for use in space --- this is all a long way away, decades --- small fission reactors are doable now.

[Lionheart]

you win a cookie.

http://img.techpowerup.org/120507/cookie-monster-8.gif

[FreedomEclipse]

I would rather be dead :)

Id rather live on. then i could steal a spaceship and become a space pirate!!

[the54thvoid]

Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me.

Take me out to the black
Tell them I ain't comin' back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me.

Leave the men where they lay
They'll never see another day
Lost my soul, lost my dream
You can't take the sky from me.

I feel the black reaching out
I hear its song without a doubt
I still hear and I still see
That you can't take the sky from me.

Lost my love, lost my land
Lost the last place I could stand
There's no place I can be
Since I've found Serenity

And you can't take the sky from me.

:toast:

Uncredited songs are persuable under copyright law. :p

Song from opening sequence from 'Firefly'.

But you all knew that.