Interstellar Travel Per Ardua Ad Astra

Interstellar Travel

Per Ardua
Ad Astra

Interstellar Travel

Per Ardua
Ad Astra

Ian D. K. Kelly

22nd July 2010
Vn.
DRAFT

First published 2007 by
Agrintha Books Ltd, Exeter UK

Copyright © 2011 Ian D K Kelly, All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, transmitted or recorded by any means whatsoever without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN 978-0-9553399-4-3

First published 2007 by
Agrintha Books Ltd, Exeter UK

Interstellar Travel Per Ardua Ad Astra

The Author

Ian D. K. Kelly is a computer scientist, who trained as a mathematician. He is interested in almost everything – including linguistics, fairy stories, philosophy, and astronomy. Ian plays the piano (and church organ), teaches music and conducts several choirs, has written books about computer translation (that’s computers translating between human languages), pantomimes (“Oh no he hasn’t!” “Oh yes he has!”), and novels for both children and adults. He claims that if he gets to Heaven, he’ll be a librarian, will hear the real end of J. S. Bach’s The Art of Fugue – and drink fine wine all day.

Ian D. K. Kelly

Publications

Emerald Pie, 2007, Agrintha Books, Exeter, ISBN 978-0-9553399-1-2 A children’s novel. Suitable for children from seven years old.

A Lad in Knaphill, and His Magic Lamp, 2007, Agrintha Books, Exeter, ISBN 978-0-9553399-5-0 and Cinderella and Her Bearded Sisters, 2007, Agrintha Books, Exeter, ISBN 978-0-9553399-6-7. These are pantomimes (“Oh no they’re not!” “Oh yes they are!” “Not that joke again!”). You are warmly invited to use these pantomimes, and make any alterations to them for your own purposes – but if you do use them, please send a donation to Knaphill Methodist Church, Surrey GU21 2DR, UK. Thank you.

“PROTRAN – An Introductory Description of a General Translator”, in Ebert, R., Lügger, J., Goeke, R. Practice in Software Adaption and Maintenance, 1980, North Holland, ISBN 0-444-85449-5

“PROTRAN – A generalised translation tool for natural and algorithmic languages”, in Overcoming the Language Barrier, Verlag Dokumentation, Munich 1977. Proceedings of the third European Congress on Information Systems and Networks, EEC. ISBN 3-7940-5184-X

“Thesaurus Vectors”, 1980, Newsletter No. 9, Natural Language Translation Specialist Group (BCS).

With Tucker, J.V.H.: “Jesus Smithson” in Boas, Guy: A Teacher’s Story, 1963, Macmillan, London

Progress In Machine Translation: Natural Language and Personal Computers, 1989, Sigma Press & John Wiley, ISBN 1-85058-156-8

With Goshawke, W., Wigg, J.D.: Computer Translation of Natural Language, 1987, Sigma Press & Halstead Press (John Wiley), ISBN 1-85058-056-1 and 0-470-20913-5

The Carpenter’s Carpet, 2007, Agrintha Books, Exeter, ISBN 978-0-9553399-3-6 Teaching stories from the world’s religions and traditions. Suitable for children from five years old.

How to Read This Book.

Read it through, for the first time ignoring all the footnotes, and all the sections that are shaded – these are merely technical descriptions and justifications. They are important technical descriptions, and the argument does depend upon them, but – in the fist instance – you should trust me. At the end you will know the main thrust of what I am saying.

Then read it through again, this time reading and checking the figures and the footnotes and the shaded sections and the technical niceties, as you see fit. If you find any errors, or you can show that my conclusions are incorrect or do not follow from the figures do please let me know either by letter to the publisher or by e-mail to or both. Or you could yourself write a book presenting better arguments or counter arguments - I would be delighted to hear of either.

Above all, enjoy reading this: it is about a very important topic – more important that most people currently realise.

Acknowledgements

Where to begin? Where to end? I have had many suggestions and much help. I have received a lot of advice, and taken very little of it. The facts and good ideas are all due to other people – just the mistakes are mine.

At the very least I have to thank for (variously) their ideas, their support, their teaching, their examples, their criticisms (some slight, some deep), their friendship and their love [names in alphabetic order by surname]: ShaheenAzizAhmed [who, many years ago, tried to teach me scholarship, art-appreciation, and Urdu]; “Russell”: J.W.R.Anderson [Rux0r]; ProfessorArchbold (UCL) [the first person ever to call me “Mr. Kelly”, and a masterly teacher of algebra]; MarcellaArnow [charming friend and intellectually focused work-mate: the most English American you can imagine]; PeterBacon [charming Christian wit with, I believe, a frog named after him]; Grace Barr; JamesBarr [perfect gentleman, and devout Christian]; Mr.L.Berkeley [inspired teacher of history, lovingly known to generations of pupils as Buffalo Bill]; AllanBouchard; Judith Bouchard; PamelaBourne; DavidBrooks [whose 21st birthday party was a turning point in my life]; Dr.RudranathCapildeo [politician, mathematician, polymath, who in just a few words encouraged me to look upwards, and be my real self]; MartynCatlow [who quietly taught me the true meaning of the word courage]; JennyClayton; Peter Clayton, RogerClayton; GeraldCole [who, by example, taught me to love language]; IanR.Dale; IreneDale; CarolDuval [ah, Carol – can we ever understand all the poems in the world?]; RickDuval; Alan Earnshaw [yes, it’s kinetic energy – not momentum – sigh]; Allan Freeman; BarryGriffin [master of both logic and meditation]; WalterGoshawke [Accipiter Gentilis]; CathieHartigan [glad2b]; RichardHeathfield [C_Dreamer: who has an unfairly large share of intellect and wit – well, I think it’s unfair – is unequalled in the clarity of his writing, charming and genuine in his politeness, a fine Christian exemplar – and incredibly hairy]; EmmaHibling [who thinks faster and better than any computer ever invented – and plays Go with vicious skill]; Paul Humphreys [logic cuts fine, Paul, and you taught me that even deep differences in opinion need not damage friendship]; AllanJupp; Dmitriy V.Kokiyelov [whose jokes I dare not use]; JohnLatham [John, I wish I had your skills in study and business organization]; RachelLatham; VeronicaLawson [who finally convinced me that language translation is difficult, and we often ignore its complexities]; PaulLewis [who thinks differently]; DesMaisey [who was a hard taskmaster in Systems Programming – thank you, Des]; RaphaelMankin [colleague and college friend who taught me more about computing (and Hebrew and Judo and horse-riding and recorder-playing and… insert long list here) than I thought it was possible for me to know]; AnnMarsden; David Marsden; Dr.Margaret Masterman; Rev. CarylMicklem [Reverend and musician, who always made an inspired choice of musical notes (even though organists don’t like playing tunes in the key of D-flat), and the perfect choice of contemplative words]; RomillyMicklem; TimothyMorgan; AlanPool; RowenaPoppe; PeterPriechenfried; GeorgePurvis; AlanRabjohn; RajanHarishankar; SanjeevRicharya; PaulSchooling [dear friend and unforgiving logician, who struggled to teach me discipline of thought – poor pupil that I am!]; Jane Skinner; NoelSkinner; CocoSmith; PhilSmith; TonySpooner [R.E.Noopsca]; EdmundStephen-Smith [ESS]; TomStockwell [brilliant teacher of physics and scientific method: alas, I have forgotten much of both]; Poh-TeenTang; TimUpton; VinceWest; DavidWigg; TomWilson [wonderful teacher of mathematics, musician, and gentleman]; AndyG.M.Wood [AGMW] (not “Woods” – there’s only one of him). And [non-alphabetically] my dear family: my patient, beautiful, charming, irreplaceable wife Gay [How do put up with me, Gizzie? I am thrilled that you do.]; our fantastic children Benjamin and Miranda; and my wonderful, wonderful parents, Percy and Vera, whom I can never thank enough.

If there are names omitted from this list of friends and absent friends, it is from my stupid forgetfulness, not spite. Thank you all for your ideas, help, patience, friendship and love over the years.

Interstellar Travel Per Ardua Ad Astra

Summary Contents

Interstellar Travel Per Ardua Ad Astra

Summary Contents 12

Detailed Contents 15

Synopsis 22

Destination 24

Possibility 36

Engineering 44

Biology 95

Culture 113

Security & Military Action 121

Psychology 126

Costs 150

Timescales 174

Tables 196

Bibliography 218

Glossary 241

Illustrations 244

Colophon 257

Interstellar Travel Per Ardua Ad Astra

The Garden of Earthly Delights (doors): Hieronymus Bosch

Interstellar Travel Per Ardua Ad Astra

Detailed Contents

Interstellar Travel Per Ardua Ad Astra

Summary Contents 12

Detailed Contents 14

Synopsis 22

Destination 24

Where are we Going? 24

The Questions 25

Why? 27

Overcrowding 27

Pollution 28

Nova 29

Urgency 30

The Destination 32

Approximations 33

Possibility 36

Preamble 36

Problem Size 37

Distances 38

Sizes 41

Effects 43

Engineering 44

Preamble 44

Possible Designs 45

Cylinder 45

Hollowed Asteroid 47

Construction 50

Cluster of Iron Ships 50

Simplicity 50

Substance 51

Size 52

Structure 52

Location 53

Singleton 54

One Hollowed Asteroid 54

Outline Design 61

Wasp Nest 61

Comfort 62

Self-sufficiency 63

Duplication, Triplication … 64

Preservation of Information 64

Power 68

How Much Power? 68

Sustenance Power 69

Transportation Power 70

Total Energy 71

Insulation 72

Slower Speed 73

Fission 77

Fusion 78

Sub-critical Nuclear Reactions 79

Alternative Energy 79

Conclusion 79

Propulsion 80

Speed 83

Preservation of Matter 84

Self-Sustenance 85

Asteroid 86

Getting There 89

Rockets 89

Sling Shots 90

Way-Stations 90

Space Elevator 90

Technique 90

Research 91

Safety 92

Transportation Energy 92

Cost 93

Terraforming 94

Biology 95

Preamble 95

Mass Proportions 97

What matter is needed? 97

Observed Proportions 98

Chosen Proportions 100

Ejecta and Structure 101

Engineering 102

Cargo 102

Biome 102

Eating 104

Livestock 105

Edible Livestock 105

Non-Edible Livestock 105

Crops 106

Edible Crops 106

Non-Edible Crops 106

Health 107

Medicine 107

Breeding 107

Population Density 110

Culture 113

Prior Art 113

New Art 116

Literature 116

Dance 116

Music 117

Graphic Arts 118

Architecture 118

Theatre 119

Artists 119

Security & Military Action 121

Evading Conflict 121

External Attack Upon 121

Before Launch 121

After Launch 122

Internal Conflict 123

External Attack From 124

Psychology 126

Sociology 126

Social Organization 126

Governance 127

Religion 129

Ordinary Life 130

Ordinary Extreme Situations 130

Extraordinary Extreme Situations 130

Mood 131

Beauty of Place 131

Beauty of Thought 132

Beauty of Action 132

Language 133

Religion 137

Social Organization 140

Family Structure 140

Sexual Organization 140

Living Patterns 141

Regulatory Structures 141

Change 143

Expression and Secrecy 144

Information Storage 145

Association 147

Physical Association 147

Conceptual Association 147

Money 148

Costs 150

Introduction 150

Scale 151

Negative Costs 153

Overpopulation 153

Our Growth Patterns 154

Modifying Growth 160

Destruction of Terra 161

Poison Fog 162

Grey Goo or Black Death 162

Big Bang 163

Even Bigger Bang 164

Biggest Bang of All 166

Conclusions 166

Positive Costs 167

Education 168

Research 169

Development and Design 170

Building and Equipping 170

Launching 171

Fiscal Impact 172

Conclusion 173

Timescales 174

Introduction 174

Punctuality 175

Met Office 175

Water 175

Walls 176

Vertigo 176

Terminal 5 177

Cathedrals 177

Attentive Construction 177

Political Involvement 179

Problem of Communication 179

Time Taken 180

Levels of Involvement 181

Global 182

International 182

National 183

Regional 184

Linguistic 185

Religious 186

Scientific 187

Economic 187

Criminal 187

Commercial 187

Research 188

Transportation 188

Rocket Propulsion 188

Space Elevator 188

Force transmission 189

Artificial Biomes 189

Power Generation 189

Power Transmission 189

Prototypes 190

Construction of Trial Ship 191

Launch of Trial Ship 192

Construction of the Real Ship 193

Launch of Second Ship 195

Tables 196

Sizes and Distances 196

Elements 197

Use of Elements 202

Asteroids 206

Population Densities 216

Bibliography 218

Printed References 218

Web References 227

Glossary 241

Greek alphabet 242

Illustrations 244

Colophon 257

Interstellar Travel Per Ardua Ad Astra

The Asteroid Belt

Interstellar Travel Per Ardua Ad Astra

Synopsis

The overall argument is that Interstellar Travel (“IT”) is possible, and necessary, and costly – and interesting. I show it is possible by describing the first part of how it could be achieved; with a discussion of mankind’s future annihilation I show it to be necessary; and by referring back to the possible techniques of its achievement, give it an initial costing. I am passionately interested in the topic, and I hope you too will be when you have read this book.

You don’t need a lot of prior knowledge to start reading. True, this book goes through areas of sociology and economics and physics and astrophysics and biology and astronomy and mathematics. There are sections about chemistry and computers and nuclear energy and cooking and education and politics (both local and international). But I assume, throughout, that you are the ordinary, non-technical reader – everyone can read this.

What is meant by “Interstellar Travel”? It means transporting an appreciable number of living human beings beyond from the confines of the Solar System as we know it. This is not talking about just exploring parts of the Solar System – just going to the other local planets – but a journey that is very much longer than that. The size of the Solar System is measured in (at most) a few “light days” (the distance light would travel in a couple of days): the nearest star is more than four light years away[1]. The journeys considered here are several hundreds – or thousands – of light-years in length. If the Interstellar Ships are designed correctly, the journeys might even be millions of light years in length.

Looking at how viable Interstellar Travel (IT) might be achieved, we see that the IT project would not be small, and would not be easy. One possible technique of creating a ship would be to choose an existing rock in the Solar system and make it habitable, and then consider how it can be moved over very long distances with human traveller. So the possibility is considered of taking a large asteroid, hollowing out its core as the living space and projecting that asteroid by ejecting (in small bursts) its hollowed-out core. Other possibilities are also considered. There are discussions on how much energy and what timescales would be required. There are also enquiries on how long the resulting environment (habitat) might remain stable, and how long an isolated community could live in such an environment – scientific and sociological stability.