Initiative for Interstellar Studies explained

The Initiative for Interstellar Studies
Size:100px
Abbreviation:i4is
Formation:2012
Status:Incorporated in the UK as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee
Purpose:To conduct activities or research relating to the challenges of achieving robotic and human interstellar flight.
Location:UK
Region Served:World
Membership:Astronautical engineers Astrophysicists
Leader Title:Executive Director
Leader Name:Andreas M. Hein
Founders:Kelvin F. Long, Rob Swinney
Main Organ:Principium
Website:www.i4is.org
Remarks:See also the i4is blog

The Initiative for Interstellar Studies (i4is) is a UK-registered not-for-profit company, whose objectives are education and research into the challenges of Interstellar Travel.[1] It pioneered small-scale laser sail interstellar probes (Project Dragonfly) and missions to interstellar objects (Project Lyra). Several of its principals were involved in the 100 Year Starship winning team originated by NASA and DARPA.[2]

The US activities of i4is are coordinated by the Institute for Interstellar Studies, a not-for-profit registered in Tennessee, USA.

Notable projects and activities

Project Dragonfly

i4is has initiated a project working on small interstellar spacecraft, propelled by a laser sail in 2013 under the name of Project Dragonfly.[3] [4] Four student teams worked on concepts for such a mission in 2014 and 2015 in the context of a design competition.[5] [6] [7] [8] [9] The design of the team from the University of California, Santa Barbara, has subsequently been selected as the baseline system architecture for Breakthrough Starshot. A subsequent study, Project Andromeda, has provided input to Breakthrough Starshot prior to its announcement in 2016.[10] [11] [12]

Project Lyra

In November 2017, i4is launched Project Lyra and proposed a set of mission concepts for reaching the interstellar objects 1I/ʻOumuamua, 2I/Borisov, and yet to be discovered objects.[13] [14] [15] [16] The project has been featured in numerous media outlets.[17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]

World Ships:

i4is has published on world ships, large interstellar generation ships and has presented its results at the ESA Interstellar Workshop in 2019 as well as in ESA's Acta Futura journal.[23] [24] [25] Several of its core team members have previously worked on Icarus Interstellar's Project Hyperion.

Venus astrobiology mission:Subsequent to the alleged discovery of phosphine in the Venusian atmosphere in 2020, i4is published a study on a dedicated astrobiology mission, based on a fleet of balloons to probe the Venusian atmosphere.[26] [27]

Principium:The i4is publishes a quarterly newsletter, Principium.[28]

Prominent figures

The i4is has a number of internationally renowned academics and engineers who have oversight and involvement with its work -

External links

Notes and References

  1. “The Institute for Interstellar Studies”, Spaceflight (magazine), Editorial, Vol.54, No.12, p.445, December 2012, by David Baker
  2. Web site: 100 Year Starship. DARPA. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130722105311/http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2011/2011/02/09_100-Year_Starship_Study_Strategic_Planning_Workshop_Held.aspx. 2013-07-22.
  3. “Project Dragonfly”, i4is.org/news/dragonfly
  4. Web site: Project Dragonfly: The case for small, laser-propelled, distributed probes.
  5. Perakis . Nikolaos . Schrenk . Lukas . Gutsmiedl . Johannes . Koop . Artur . Losekamm . Martin J . Project Dragonfly: A feasibility study of interstellar travel using laser-powered light sail propulsion . Acta Astronautica . 2016 . 129 . 316–324. 10.1016/j.actaastro.2016.09.030 . 2016AcAau.129..316P .
  6. Häfner . Tobias . Kushwaha . Manisha . Celik . Onur . Bellizzi . Filippo . Project Dragonfly: Sail to the stars . Acta Astronautica . 2019 . 154 . 311–319. 10.1016/j.actaastro.2018.05.018 . 2019AcAau.154..311H . 116056664 .
  7. Web site: Project Dragonfly - Sail to the Stars.
  8. Web site: Project Dragonfly: Design Competitions and Crowdfunding.
  9. Web site: Cain . Fraser . Project Dragonfly. A Laser-Powered Probe to Alpha Centauri . Universe Today . 14 February 2021.
  10. News: Moody . Oliver . Tiny armada to explore space . The Times . 15 February 2021.
  11. Web site: Emerging Technology from the arXiv . Femto-Spacecraft Could Travel to Alpha Centauri . MIT Technology Review . 14 February 2021.
  12. Hein . Andreas M . Long . Kelvin F . Fries . Dan . Perakis . Nikolaos . Genovese . Angelo . Zeidler . Stefan . Langer . Martin . Osborne . Richard . Swinney . Rob . Davies . John . The Andromeda Study: A Femto-Spacecraft Mission to Alpha Centauri . 2017 . astro-ph.IM . 1708.03556.
  13. Hein . Andreas M. . Perakis . Nikolaos . Eubanks . T. Marshall . Hibberd . Adam . Crowl . Adam . Hayward . Kieran . Kennedy III . Robert G. . Osborne . Richard . Project Lyra: Sending a spacecraft to 1I/'Oumuamua (former A/2017 U1), the interstellar asteroid . Acta Astronautica . 161 . 552–561 . 7 January 2019 . 1711.03155 . 2017arXiv171103155H . 10.1016/j.actaastro.2018.12.042. 119474144 .
  14. 1909.06348 . Hibberd . Adam . Perakis . Nikolaos . Hein . Andreas M. . Sending a Spacecraft to Interstellar Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) . 13 September 2019. Earth and Planetary Astrophysics .
  15. Hibberd . Adam . Hein . Andreas M . Project Lyra: Catching 1I/'Oumuamua-Using Nuclear Thermal Rockets . Acta Astronautica . 2021 . 179 . 594–603. 10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.11.038 . 2008.05435 . 2021AcAau.179..594H . 221104007 .
  16. Hibberd . Adam . Hein . Andreas M . Eubanks . T Marshall . Project Lyra: Catching 1I/'Oumuamua--Mission Opportunities After 2024 . Acta Astronautica . 2020 . 170 . 136–144. 10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.01.018 . 1902.04935 . 2020AcAau.170..136H . 119078436 .
  17. Web site: Powell . Corey S. . Visitors from deep space are buzzing our solar system. The race is on to explore them . NBC News . 17 October 2019 . 14 February 2021.
  18. Web site: Greshko . Michael . Interstellar comet starts coming into focus . https://web.archive.org/web/20191005045838/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/10/interstellar-comet-borisov-starts-coming-into-focus/ . dead . October 5, 2019 . National Geographic . 4 October 2019 . 14 February 2021.
  19. Oberhaus . Daniel . Should Earthlings Chase 'Oumuamua Into Interstellar Space? . Wired . 14 February 2021.
  20. Web site: Powell . Corey S. . What is Oumuamua? Here's what we know about the interstellar object . NBC News . 28 January 2019 . 14 February 2021.
  21. Web site: Williams . Matt . Could we intercept interstellar comet C/2019 Q4 Borisov? . Phys.org . 14 February 2021.
  22. Web site: Ciaccia . Chris . Newly discovered interstellar visitor could be intercepted, study says . Fox News . 20 September 2019 . 14 February 2021.
  23. Hein . Andreas M . Smith . Cameron . Marin . Frederic . Staats . Kai . World Ships: Feasibility and Rationale . Acta Futura . 2020 . 12 . 75–104 . 10.5281/zenodo.3747333 . 2005.04100 . 218571111.
  24. Web site: Faife . Corin . Scientists Are Contemplating a 1,000-Year Space Mission to Save Humanity . Medium - OneZero . 17 December 2019 . 14 February 2021.
  25. Web site: Hein . Andreas M . Smith . Cameron . Marin . Frédéric . Staats . Kai . World Ships –Feasibility and Rationale . 16 February 2021.
  26. Web site: Dorminey . Bruce . Proposed Venus Balloon Mission Could Detect Life By 2022 . Forbes . 14 February 2021.
  27. Hein . Andreas M . Lingam . Manasvi . Eubanks . T Marshall . Hibberd . Adam . Fries . Dan . Blase . William Paul . A Precursor Balloon Mission for Venusian Astrobiology . The Astrophysical Journal Letters . 2020 . 903 . 2 . L36 . 10.3847/2041-8213/abc347 . 2009.11826 . 2020ApJ...903L..36H . 221878878 . free .
  28. Web site: Principium. i4is.
  29. Web site: Dr Ian Crawford. Birkbeck College, University of London.
  30. Web site: Gregory L. Matloff. New York City College of Technology. 2013-07-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20121019235211/http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/aboutus/scholars/bios/matloff.shtml. 2012-10-19. dead.
  31. Web site: I4IS - Senior Advisory Council . www.i4is.org . 15 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120918020424/http://www.i4is.org/people_council.html . 18 September 2012 . dead.

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