Project Daedalus
E94839
Project Daedalus was a 1970s British Interplanetary Society study that designed an unmanned, fusion-powered interstellar probe intended to reach nearby star systems within a human lifetime.
Aliases (1)
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
British Interplanetary Society project
→
interstellar spacecraft design study → space mission concept → |
| conductedBy |
British Interplanetary Society
→
|
| countryOfOrigin |
United Kingdom
→
|
| crew |
0
→
|
| decade |
1970s
→
|
| designAssumption |
no breakthroughs in physics required
→
use of near-future, extrapolated technology → |
| designedCruiseVelocity |
0.12c
→
12 percent of the speed of light → |
| designedDistance |
approximately 6 light-years
→
|
| designedFor |
uncrewed operation
→
|
| designedLaunchMass |
about 54,000 tons
→
|
| designedMissionDuration |
about 50 years to target star
→
less than a human lifetime → |
| designedPayloadMass |
about 450 tons
→
|
| designFeature |
autonomous onboard computers
→
dust and micrometeoroid protection system → fusion fuel pellets injected into reaction chamber → large fuel tanks for deuterium/helium-3 mixture → magnetic nozzle → pellet-driven fusion engine → radio communication system to transmit data to Earth → swarm of sub-probes for planetary investigation → two-stage spacecraft → |
| editor |
A. R. Martin
→
|
| endTime |
1978
→
|
| field |
astronautics
→
interstellar travel → |
| fuel |
deuterium
→
helium-3 → |
| goal |
demonstrate feasibility of interstellar travel using near-future technology
→
reach another star system within a human lifetime → |
| influenced |
Project Icarus
→
|
| inspired |
later interstellar mission concepts
→
|
| missionTarget |
Barnard's Star
→
nearby star systems → |
| missionType |
flyby mission
→
|
| organization |
British Interplanetary Society
NERFINISHED
→
|
| propulsionType |
fusion-powered
→
inertial confinement fusion → |
| publication |
Project Daedalus: The Final Report of the BIS Starship Study
→
|
| publicationYear |
1978
→
|
| realizationStatus |
never built
→
|
| spacecraftType |
unmanned interstellar probe
→
|
| startTime |
1973
→
|
| status |
concept study only
→
|
Referenced by (3)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Project Longshot
→
Project Orion (nuclear pulse propulsion) → |
relatedTo |
|
Project Daedalus
("Project Daedalus: The Final Report of the BIS Starship Study")
→
|
publication |