Spider Star
The human colony on the planet Argo has long explored and exploited the technology left behind by an extinct alien race. But then an archaeology team accidentally activates a terrible weapon...
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"Seldom does a storytelling talent come along as potent and fully mature as Mike Brotherton. His complex characters take you on a voyage that is both fiercely credible and astonishingly imaginative. This is Science Fiction."
-- David Brin"Star Dragon is terrific fare, offering readers a fusion of hard science and grand adventure."
-- Locus Magazine"Star Dragon is steeped in cosmology, the physics of interstellar travel, exobiology, artificial intelligence, bioscience. Brotherton, author of many scientific articles in refereed journals, has written a dramatic, provocative, utterly convincing hard science sf novel that includes an ironic twist that fans will love."
-- Booklist starred review"Readers hungry for the thought-provoking extrapolation and rigorous technical detail of old-fashioned hard SF are sure to enjoy astronomer Brotherton's first novel."
-- Publishers Weekly"Mike Brotherton, himself a trained astrophysicist, combines the technical acuity and ingenuity of Robert Forward with the ironic, postmodern stance and style of M. John Harrison. In this, his debut novel, those twin talents unite to produce a work that is involving on any number of levels. It's just about all you could ask for in a hardcore SF adventure."
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How Do I Get There (Another Star?) — Let Me Count the Ways
April 17th, 2013
I am inspired today by Starship Century, a symposium at UCSD May 21-22, involving Gregory Benford, David Brin, Geoffrey Landis, Joe Haldeman, Neal Stephenson, Alan Steele, etc., almost everyone you might think of from the science fiction side, and a lot of folks involved from the science side (Freeman Dyson, Robert Zubrin, John Cramer, etc.). I’m tempted to go, and will look into it.
What are the plausible ways to get to another star?
There are a number of them with a number of strategies.
The parameter space is something like this:
1. Speed of spacecraft. We know how to get some speed here, from ion propulsion, solar sails, nuclear propulsion, even if things like Bussard ramjets have technical issues.
2. Relativity bonus (subjective time onboard reduced).
3. Warping of space (literally or via wormhole, hyperspace, etc.).
4. Hibernation/suspended animation.
5. Generation ships.
6. Sending/seeding life to be born en route or on location.
7. Becoming biologically immortal.
8. Becoming mechanically immortal.
9. Sending robots of whatever AI level.
10. Unforeseen tech/magic.
There are a lot of ways to get to another star in some fashion. The scientists who claim that the energy/time considerations are too great are myopic and silly. An advanced technological species can solve the problem by finding some corner in the above multi-variable parameter space, and humans can do it this century if sufficiently inspired and willing to invest. While Mars is challenging, and stars are orders of magnitude more challenging, there’s a solution or two.
Let me suggest two nice books on this topic: The Starflight Handbook and Interstellar Travel and Mutli-Generational Space Ships.
Any other parameters I missed? I mean, it’s a matter of time and energy and traveler lifetime. All can be adjusted within limits, even if we never manage to warp space or open worm holes.
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Apart from the time/energy thing, the biggest practical consideration is: you don’t really want to visit an extrasolar star, but an extrasolar planet.
Here at home, there are really only two planetary bodies other than the earth that we can live on: the moon and mars. Everything else is too hot, doesn’t have enough gravity or doesn’t provide enough solar energy.
Alternatively, you could just do a flyby without slowing down. But you’d have to decide long in advance in order to have enough time to brake.
But I guess by the time we’re ready to send manned missions, robotic flybys will have been routine for decades if not centuries so we know exactly where to stop.
Timely post! We’re doing Life in the Universe in astronomy class today. I’ll have to use this…