Back to Search
Start Over
Project Dragonfly: Sail to the stars.
- Source :
-
Acta Astronautica . Jan2019, Vol. 154, p311-319. 9p. - Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- Abstract This paper aims to assess the feasibility of an interstellar mission to reach the Alpha Centauri star system and delivering scientific data, using current and near-future technology. The mission baseline uses 100 GW of laser power to accelerate a spacecraft of 2750 kg to 5% the speed of light with light sail technology, resulting in a travel time of about a century. This paper explores several aspects of the mission: Possible locations of the laser infrastructure and different sail materials to achieve the required acceleration are discussed. Deceleration using a magnetic sail in the interstellar medium and in the heliosphere of the target star, taking into account mathematical models from Zubrin [6], Freeman [22] and Gros [21], is studied. Potential orbits in the star system are considered for observation and data collection. Finally, a multi-spacecraft mission architecture is presented, as it would allow for the spacecraft to be launched sequentially, thus exploiting the possibility of continuously operating the laser infrastructure. Highlights • Mission architecture to send multiple spacecrafts to Alpha Centauri star system. • Laser sail acceleration and magnetic sail deceleration. • Performance comparison of different light sail materials, on a spacecraft level. • Dependencies between light sail, laser and mission parameters. • Performance analysis of magnetic sails considering different mathematical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00945765
- Volume :
- 154
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Acta Astronautica
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 133320355
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2018.05.018