Centauri Dreams: Imagining and Planning Interstellar Exploration (Hardcover)

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• This item: Centauri Dreams: Imagining and Planning Interstellar Exploration by Paul Gilster

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• The Starflight Handbook: Pioneer's Guide to Interstellar Travel (Wiley Science Editions) by Eugene F. Mallove

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• Interstellar Travel and Multi-Generational Space Ships (Apogee Books Space Series) by Y. Kondo

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The Starflight Handbook: Pioneer's Guide to Interstellar Travel (Wiley Science Editions) by Eugene F. Mallove 5.0 out of 5 stars (4)  £17.99

Interstellar Travel and Multi-Generational Space Ships (Apogee Books Space Series) by Y. Kondo £14.49

Beyond Earth: The Future of Humans in Space (Apogee Books Space Series) by Bob Krone £14.49

High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space by Gerald K. O'Neill £13.49

Interstellar Migration and the Human Experience (Los Alamos Series in Basic & Applied Sciences) by Ben Finney

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Review
"Science and SF writer Gilster s latest isn t only an enlightening tour of propulsion and communication systems and the materials that might take us (in unmanned or even manned probes) to Centauri triple-star system 4.3 light years away (nearby in interstellar terms). The book is also a plea to remember that the urge to explore the unknown is what makes us human and that the future may not be as far away as we think. What separates this work from many scientific explorations of topics typically relegated to science fiction is that none of the methods described require breakthroughs in physics: we need no faster-than-light travel, no warp drive, no hyperspace or wormholes. All today s scientists need is the time, funding, and license to turn their thought experiments into engineering problems. Like a master kite flyer, Gilster slowly lets out the line and allows the magnificent dreams of interstellar flight to soar describing the relevant technologies we already possess then he reels readers back in by pointing out the lack of funding and distance these theories still need to go before becoming reality. The technologies include sails that capture light instead of wind; a combination of fusion and antimatter reactions; and artificially intelligent computer systems that evolve over time. Metaphors and examples based on common experience put the science in perspective. This work is not only a clear, well-thought-out explanation of theoretical science and engineering but also food for the soul of anyone who has ever thought that space is a great adventure waiting to happen." --Publishers Weekly, Jan. 10, 2005

" Centauri Dreams consists of a thorough analysis of the alternative propulsion technologies ... . This analysis is tastefully interspersed with numerous references to science-fiction ideas and writers, reflecting Gilster s wide ranging knowledge of real science and his passion for science fiction literature. ... This book is very well researched, and was for me an enjoyable read, one that I m sure will be well enjoyed by science-fiction aficionados and hard-nosed realists alike!" --Gerard Mc Mahon, Astronomy & Space, April, 2006

"The fastest manmade vehicle is now Voyager 1, heading out of the solar system. It could cross the US in less than four minutes. Even at that speed it will take 70,000 years to reach the nearest star, Alpha Centauri. ... Paul Gilster s book explores the terrain at the frontiers of hard logic and hairy thinking. Interstellar travel is now part of imagination s landscape. ... The interstellar idea, says Gilster, in this exhilarating book, is taking shape." --Tim Radford, The Guardian, March, 2005

Product Description
Why, today, would anyone undertake a plan to launch a spacecraft some 30 years in the future, and on a journey that would take some 40 years to complete? Paul Gilster investigates the science, and the spirit, of the NASA and JPL researchers who are actually at work on just such a project.'Gilster introduces the challenges of imagining and planning interstellar exploration by leading readers through the difficulties of reaching and exploring the nearest bright star, Alpha Centauri. Seeded by ideas and concepts of the late Robert Forward, the narrative is framed as a learning process undertaken simultaneously by writer and reader. Although Alpha Centauri is astronomically nearby, a postulated trip by robot spacecraft, followed by manned exploration, would take 50 to 1,000 years, depending on the type of spacecraft propulsion used. Various methods for interstellar travel are introduced and discussed, including solar sails that use the power of starlight, nuclear fusion, antimatter hybrid systems, and beamed laser propulsion' - W. E. Howard III, "CHOICE", March 2005.' One challenge is to get there in a reasonable time so that funding support, public interest, and events on Earth will not divert attention from the mission. Another challenge is timing the mission relative to available technology, because with better technology it might be possible to send a later robot on the same mission in less time. The book has no figures, tables, or illustrations but does include 30 pages of notes and an adequate 14-page index. Though the concepts presented are often fanciful, this book will appeal to readers who wonder about the future of exploration beyond the solar system. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; professionals' - W. E. Howard III, "CHOICE", March 2005.

First Sentence
In a laboratory in the Propulsion Research Center at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, a gleaming drum about the size of a whiskey barrel has been built that one day will hold a trillion of the world's rarest particles-antiprotons. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover

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