Deep-Space ProbesThis excellent book by Dr Gregory Matloff could be viewed as a large multi disciplinary compendium of past research, current investigations and future research in astronautics. However, unlike conventional works that are usually closed, this book is an open guide in three main respects: it contains progressive exercises as the chapter and section topics evolve, it provides the reader with many updated references, and it clearly indicates projected research areas that could become current research in the near future. For a student, the included exercises could be transformed into small worksheets or notebooks featuring many modern symbolic or algebraic computation systems that run on desktop or laptop computers. Thus, rapid and progressive study is possible - a sort of learning library driven by the author and by the bibliography at the end of each chapter. More than 340 references for both professionals and students have been selected to provide the reader with a sound basis for expanding his or her knowledge of the many different subjects dealt with authoritatively by the author, who for several decades has worked actively in various fields of astronautics. A systematic and unhurried study of this book will produce for the reader an extraordinarily enlarged number-based view of spaceflight and its significant impact on our future global society. |
Contents
Motivations for deepspace travel | 1 |
11 AN INVENTORY OF NEAREARTH OBJECTS | 4 |
12 CONSIDERING NEO ORIGINS | 6 |
13 THE DIFFICULTY OF TELESCOPIC EXPLORATION OF NEOS NEAR THEIR POINT OF ORIGIN | 7 |
14 ROBOTIC EXPLORATION OPTIONS | 9 |
16 BIBLIOGRAPHY | 10 |
The realms of space | 13 |
22 REALMS OF FIRE WATER AND ICE | 15 |
73 THRUSTLESS TURNING | 90 |
74 PERFORATED LIGHT SAIL OPTICAL THEORY | 92 |
A METHOD OF IMPROVING LASERBEAM COLLIMATION | 94 |
76 ROUNDTRIP INTERSTELLAR VOYAGES USING BEAMEDLASER PROPULSION | 96 |
77 INTERSTELLAR PARTICLEBEAM PROPULSION | 97 |
78 BIBLIOGRAPHY | 98 |
On the technological horizon | 101 |
82 THE RAMAUGMENTED INTERSTELLAR ROCKET RAIR | 104 |
23 SOLAR RADIANT FLUX AND PLANET EFFECTIVE TEMPERATURE | 16 |
24 THE EFFECT OF ATMOSPHERIC OPTICAL DEPTH | 18 |
AN APPRECIATION OF THE LIFEZONE | 20 |
THE REEFS OF SPACE | 21 |
28 BIBLIOGRAPHY | 22 |
Tomorrows targets | 25 |
AN EARLY NASAJPL EXTRASOLAR MISSION STUDY | 26 |
PROPOSED PROBES TO THE SUNS GRAVITY FOCUS | 27 |
A SAIL TO THE HELIOPAUSE | 29 |
34 THE NASA INTERSTELLAR INITIATIVE | 30 |
36 THE NASA KUIPER BELT EXPLORER | 31 |
37 A PROBE TO THE OORT CLOUD | 32 |
38 BIBLIOGRAPHY | 33 |
Space propulsion today | 35 |
42 THE SOLARELECTRIC DRIVE | 39 |
43 UNPOWERED PLANETARY GRAVITY ASSISTS | 40 |
44 POWERED SOLAR GRAVITY ASSISTS | 44 |
45 THE SOLARPHOTON SAIL | 46 |
46 BIBLIOGRAPHY | 54 |
The incredible shrinking spaceprobe | 57 |
51 THE SMALL AND THE VERY SMALL | 58 |
THE ART AND SCIENCE OF THE VERY VERY SMALL | 59 |
NEARTERM POSSIBILITIES | 61 |
LONGTERM POSSIBILITIES | 62 |
55 POSSIBLE LIMITS TO NANOTECHNOLOGY | 63 |
56 BIBLIOGRAPHY | 64 |
The nuclear option | 65 |
62 NUCLEARELECTRIC PROPULSION NEP | 69 |
ORION DAEDALUS AND MEDUSA | 72 |
64 INERTIAL ELECTROSTATIC CONFINEMENT AND GASDYNAMIC MIRROR FUSION | 75 |
THE ULTIMATE FUEL | 76 |
66 BIBLIOGRAPHY | 79 |
Twentyfirst century starflight | 83 |
71 LASERMASER SAILING FUNDAMENTALS | 84 |
72 STARSHIP DECELERATION USING THE MAGSAIL | 87 |
83 THE LASER RAMJET | 108 |
84 THE RAMJET RUNWAY | 110 |
85 A TOROIDAL RAMSCOOP | 112 |
86 BIBLIOGRAPHY | 115 |
Exotic possibilities | 117 |
THE POTENTIAL OF MAGNETIC SURFING | 118 |
APPROACHES TO ANTIGRAVITY | 122 |
GENERAL RELATIVITY AND SPACETIME WARPS | 126 |
SOME OTHER EXOTIC IDEAS | 128 |
Of stars planets and life | 133 |
102 METHODS OF IMAGING EXTRASOLAR PLANETS | 135 |
103 EXTRASOLAR PLANETS FOUND TO DATE THAT ORBIT SUNLIKE STARS | 138 |
104 HOW COMMON ARE LIFEBEARING WORLDS? | 140 |
A WAY TO INCREASE THE ODDS | 142 |
106 BIBLIOGRAPHY | 143 |
Life between the stars | 145 |
111 ENVIRONMENTAL OBSTACLES TO INTERSTELLAR FLIGHT AND THEIR REMOVAL | 146 |
112 OPTIONS FOR ONBOARD POWER BETWEEN THE STARS | 149 |
113 CLOSED ENVIRONMENT LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS | 150 |
114 OF WORLDSHIPS AND INTERSTELLAR ARKS | 151 |
THE LONG SLEEP TO a CENTAURI | 153 |
116 BIBLIOGRAPHY | 154 |
Conscious spacecraft | 157 |
CAN THE COMPUTER EAT THE GALAXY? | 158 |
122 THE CRYOGENIC STARCHILD | 159 |
124 BIBLIOGRAPHY | 160 |
Meeting ET | 161 |
131 ARE STARSHIPS DETECTABLE? | 162 |
132 MOTIVATIONS OF STARTRAVELLING EXTRATERRESTRIALS | 164 |
133 BIBLIOGRAPHY | 165 |
Afterword | 167 |
Nomenclature | 169 |
Glossary | 175 |
178 | |
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Common terms and phrases
acceleration antimatter applied approach asteroids Astronomical Units atmosphere Bibliography British Interplanetary Society cable calculated Cassenti celestial object centre century Chapter comets considered cosmic craft deceleration detect distance Earth efficiency electrical equation estimate exhaust velocity exosphere exploration extrasolar planets flyby fraction Fresnel lens fuel fusion Galaxy Genta gravity assist heliopause human impact infrared interstellar ark interstellar ion interstellar magnetic field interstellar medium interstellar ramjet interstellar travel Journal Jupiter kinetic energy Kuiper Belt laser beam launched light sail magsail Mallove mass ratio Matloff metres momentum nanotechnology NASA Near-Term nuclear onboard Oort Cloud optical orbit Outer Solar System parabolic particles payload perihelion planetary probe propulsion system protons radius RAIR ramjet ramjet runway ramscoop reactor reflected relativistic robotic scoop solar sail Solar System Space Propulsion spacecraft velocity Spaceflight starship stellar Sun's telescope temperature terrestrial thrustless turning trajectory unfurled velocity relative wavelength worldships