Reaching for the stars

A US government agency is offering $500,000 to the individual or firm in the private sector with the best idea for how to send people to a star, writes John Holden.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) like their ideas big. The US government’s 1980s space-based missile defense system, otherwise known as "Star Wars", was their idea. As is the 100 Year Starship Study – a century long project which aims to re-ignite the public’s interest in further space exploration as well as come up with real ideas to get to a star.

Last month, 150 applicants sent in their own cosmic suggestions to the US federal government agency. These applications will be mulled over for the next couple of months and the winner will be announced at a conference in Florida in November of this year. Official sources suggest some big names are among those interested. The $500,000 is what’s known as ‘seed money’ for a private sector group to get their idea off the ground with the goal of actual interstellar travel being realised 100 years from now.

It is estimated that the nearest star beyond the sun is approximately 25 trillion miles away. The fastest man made rocket in existence today would take thousands of years to get there. So new technology is seriously needed in order to even consider such a galactic journey.

It may seem a little weird (and a big long shot in terms of actually achieving success) that the US Defence Department would be asking anyone outside of military and NASA circles if they have any bright ideas for space exploration. But it was a similar type of open research programme initiated by DARPA in 1973 to investigate techniques and technologies for ‘interlinking packet networks of various kinds’ which lead to the invention of the internet.

Next week, NASA’s last space shuttle flight will take place, so new and innovative ideas are needed to keep humanity’s dreams of exploring space alive.

And while getting to a star is the final goal, like all scientific endeavours, DAPRA are aware of the potential insights that might be gained along the way. According to their website, the 100 Year Starship Study is an “effort to develop a viable and sustainable model for persistent, long-term, private-sector investment into the myriad of disciplines needed to make long-distance space travel practicable and feasible… DARPA contends that the useful, unanticipated consequences of such research will have benefit to the Department of Defense and to NASA, as well as the private and commercial sector.”

Image top: Suraky.