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{{short description|2009 project to update design of Project Daedalus}}
'''Project Icarus''' is a theoretical design study aimed at designing a credible, mainly [[nuclear fusion]]-based [[interstellar travel |unmanned interstellar space-probe]]. <ref><small>K.F.LONG & R.K.OBOUSY</small> 12<sup>th</sup> May 2010- <small>PROJECT ICARUS : PROJECT PROGRAMME DOCUMENT ((PPD) - OVERVIEW PROJECT PLAN COVERING PERIOD 2009-2014</small> [http://www.icarusinterstellar.org/icarusppd.pdf pdf] Retrieved 2012-01-25</ref> It started out as an initiative of members of The [[British Interplanetary Society]] (BIS) and The Tau Zero Foundation (TZF), but is now a project currently managed by the same people under the umbrella of the non-profit organization [[Icarus Interstellar]]. It was motivated by the BIS [[Project Daedalus]], a similar study that was conducted between 1973 and 1978 by the BIS.<ref>Leonard David, "Futuristic interstellar space probe idea revisited", [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37023873/ns/technology_and_science-space/from/ET MSNBC], May 9, 2010.</ref>
{{Multiple issues|
{{Notability|date=March 2021}}
{{COI|date=January 2022}}
}}
'''Project Icarus''' is a theoretical engineering design study aimed at designing a credible, mainly [[nuclear fusion]]-based, [[interstellar travel|unmanned interstellar space probe]].<ref>K.F. Long & R.K. Obousy 12th May 2010—Project Icarus: project programme document (PPD)–overview project plan covering period 2009–2014 [http://www.icarusinterstellar.org/icarusppd.pdf pdf] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304124702/http://www.icarusinterstellar.org/icarusppd.pdf |date=2012-03-04 }} Retrieved 2012-01-25</ref> ''Project Icarus'' was an initiative of members of the [[British Interplanetary Society]] (BIS) and the [[Tau Zero Foundation|Tau Zero Foundation (TZF)]] started in 2009. The project was under the stewardship of Icarus Interstellar until 2019. It remains a BIS project.


The project is planned to take around five years and began on September 30, 2009.<ref>Stephen Ashworth FBIS, "Project Icarus - Son of Daedalus", Spaceflight, 454-455 (December 2009).</ref> An international team of dozens of scientists and engineers has been assembled. The project web site reveals the evolving team:[http://icarusinterstellar.org Project Icarus].
The project was planned to take around five years and began formally on September 30, 2009.<ref>Stephen Ashworth FBIS, "Project Icarus—Son of Daedalus", Spaceflight, 454–455 (December 2009).</ref> An international team of scientists and engineers was assembled and a number of papers were published on many aspects of Interstellar flight during the active phase of the project.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icarusinterstellar.org/team/ |title=Icarus Interstellar |publisher=Icarus Interstellar |access-date=2017-06-24}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
Project Icarus was founded mainly by Kelvin Long and Richard Obousy. The project was first announced at a conference at the UK Space Conference, held at Charterhouse, Surrey, UK on 4th April 2009 when Kelvin Long had organized the first interstellar session there. He then then approached Richard Obousy about helping to set up the project. A symposium was organized by Kelvin Long and Ian Crawforda at the British Interplanetary Society to review "Daedalus after 30 years". As well as presentations from Long, Obousy and Crawford, it also included presentations from future team members Richard Osborne, Martyn Fogg and Andreas Tziolas. Other future team members were in the audience that day including Pat Galea and Rob Swinney. The genesis of the project is described in the original paper <ref>K.F.Long, M.Fogg, R.K.Obousy, A.Tziolas, A.Mann, R.Osborne and A.Presby, Project Icarus: Son of Daedalus - Flying Closer to Another Star, JBIS, 62, 11/12, pp403-414, November/December 2009</ref> as well as a history paper <ref>K.F.Long, R.Obousy and A.Tziolas, Technical Note - Project Icarus: The Origins and Aims of the Study, JBIS, 64, 3, pp88-91, March 2011</ref>.
Project Icarus was founded, mainly, by Kelvin Long and Richard Obousy. The project was first announced at a conference at the United Kingdom Space Conference, held at [[Charterhouse, Surrey]] on 4 April 2009, when Kelvin Long had organized the first interstellar session. He then approached Richard Obousy about helping to set up the project. A symposium was organized by Kelvin Long and Ian Crawford at the British Interplanetary Society to review "[[Project Daedalus|Daedalus]] After 30 Years". As well as presentations from Long, Obousy and Crawford, it included presentations from future team members Richard Osborne, Martyn Fogg and Andreas Tziolas. Other future team members in the audience that day included Pat Galea and Rob Swinney. The genesis of the project is described in the original paper<ref>{{Cite journal | last = Long | first = K. F. |author2=Fogg. M. |author3=Obousy, R. K. |author4=Tziolas, A. |author5=Mann, A. |author6=Osborne, R. |author7= Presby, A. | title = Project Icarus: Son of Daedalus — Flying Closer to Another Star | journal = Journal of the British Interplanetary Society | volume = 62 | issue = 11/12 | pages = 403–414 | date = 2009 | url = http://www.jbis.org.uk/paper.php?p=2009.62.403 | issn = 0007-084X |bibcode=2009JBIS...62..403L}}</ref> as well as a history paper.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Long | first1 = K. F. | last2= Fogg|first2= M.|last3= Obousy |first3= R. K.|last4= Tziolas|first4= A. | title = Technical Note—Project Icarus: The Origins and Aims of the Study | journal = Journal of the British Interplanetary Society | volume = 64 | issue = 3 | pages = 88–91 | date = 2011 | url = http://www.jbis.org.uk/paper.php?p=2011.64.88 | issn = 0007-084X | bibcode=2011JBIS...64...88L}}</ref>


Project Icarus focused on the technology challenges of interstellar travel.<ref name=atlantic>{{cite news
Project Icarus was mainly formed as an initiative to re-energize the interstellar community, where it had been observed that many of the 'design capable' people had either retired or died. With this in mind Project Icarus is mainly a 'designer capability exercise'. The choise of mainly fusion fuel did not neccessarilly indicate the team were advocates of fusion propulsion, but was merely a vehicle for providing for a design study, within design constraints. The purpose behind Project Icarus has been defined to be:
|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/02/project-icarus-laying-the-plans-for-interstellar-travel/253335/
|title=Project Icarus: Laying the Plans for Interstellar Travel
|first=Ross
|last=Andersen
|date=23 Feb 2012
|access-date=24 July 2014
|newspaper=[[The Atlantic]]
|publisher=Atlantic Monthly Group
⚫
}}</ref> "The required milestones should be defined in order to get to a potential launch of such a mission. This should include a credible design, mission profile, key technological development steps and other aspects as considered appropriate."{{citation needed|date=January 2014}} These goals are to be achieved by technical reports on engineering layout, functionality, physics, operation and other aspects of such an interstellar ship.<ref name=atlantic/>


While Daedalus had relied on [[helium-3 propulsion#Electricity generation vs. direct thrust|helium-3 propulsion]] depending on mining [[Neptune]] or [[Jupiter]] to produce sufficient [[helium-3]]; several other fuel sources and fusion types were researched.<ref name=atlantic/>
*1. To design a credible interstellar probe that is a concept design for a potential mission in the coming centuries.
*2. To allow a direct technology comparison with Daedalus and provide an assessment of the maturity of fusion based space propulsion for future precursor missions.
*3. To generate greater interest in the real term prospects for interstellar precursor missions that are based on credible science.
*4. To motivate a new generation of scientists to be interested in designing space missions that go beyond our solar system.


⚫
Members of the Project Icarus study group went on to form a [[501(c)(3) nonprofit organization]] called Icarus Interstellar, which then launched various other projects other than just Project Icarus. Icarus Interstellar has the mission of seeing interstellar flight achieved by the year 2100.
The team set out to describe the project requirements in the form of a set of Terms of Reference which is what has to be accomplished by the design study:


In September 2011, Project Icarus received a mention in the BBC's [[The Sky at Night|Sky at Night]] Programme.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mk7h/episodes/topics/project_icarus |title = BBC Four - the Sky at Night - Episodes tagged with Project Icarus (In… |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140518073059/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mk7h/episodes/topics/project_icarus |archive-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*1. To design an unmanned probe that is capable of delivering useful scientific data about the target star, associated planetary bodies, solar environment and the interstellar medium.
*2. The spacecraft must use current or near future technology and be designed to be launched as soon as is credibly determined.
*3. The spacecraft must reach its stellar destination within as fast a time as possible, not exceeding a century and ideally much sooner.
*4. The spacecraft must be designed to allow for a variety of target stars.
*5. The spacecraft propulsion must be mainly fusion based (i.e. Daedalus).
*6. The spacecraft mission must be designed so as to allow some deceleration for increased encounter time at the destination.


=== 2013 Project Icarus design competition ===
There is also the addition of a project scope:
In 2013 a design competition internal to Icarus Interstellar was launched. During a final workshop at the [[British Interplanetary Society]] in October 2013 a team from the [[WARR (TUM)|WARR]] student group of the [[Technical University of Munich]] under the leadership of Andreas M. Hein was nominated as the winner.<ref>{{cite web|author=Future Publishing Limited |url=http://www.spaceanswers.com/futuretech/ghost-ship-to-alpha-centauri/ |title=Ghost Ship to Alpha Centauri &#124; |website=Spaceanswers.com |date=2014-04-11 |access-date=2017-06-24}}</ref>
⚫
"The required milestones should be defined in order to get to a potential launch of such a mission. This should include a credible design, mission profile, key technological development steps and other aspects as considered appropriate".


Icarus Firefly, one of the competing designs, was later sufficiently developed to be presented as an article in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Freedland |first1=R. M. |last2=Al |first2=Et |date=2015 |title=Firefly Icarus: An Unmanned Interstellar Probe using Z-Pinch Fusion Propulsion |url=https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015JBIS...68...68F/abstract |journal=Journal of the British Interplanetary Society |language=en |volume=68 |pages=68–80 |bibcode=2015JBIS...68...68F |issn=0007-084X}}</ref>
⚫
Members of the Project Icarus Study Group went onto form a non-profit organization called [[Icarus Interstellar]] which then launched various other projects other than just Project Icarus. Icarus Intersellar has the mission of seeing interstellar flight achieved by the year 2100.


=== 2019 Project review ===
==Structure==
The project is managed to a core design team, surrounded by many designers, which includes some students. The project management is designed to rotate whenever any major phase changes occurs over the ten phases of the project. A Project Manager (PM) and Deputy Project Manager (DPM) is promoted on each cycle to manage the project. The team leadership so far has been:
* Kelvin Long (1st PM), Richard Obousy (1st DPM)
* Richard Obousy (2nd PM), Andreas Tziolas (2nd DPM)
* Andreas Tziolas (3rd PM), Pat Galea (3rd DPM), Rob Swinney (4th DPM), Robert Freeland (5th DPM).


The supervision of the project by Icarus Interstellar ended in 2019, after failing to produce a workable, updated starship design. However, many papers were published as elements of the project, and the state of the art of Interstellar travel was advanced. A review of the project was published in 2020. <ref>{{Cite report |last1=Swinney |first1=R.W. |last2=Freeland II |first2=R.M. |last3=Lamontagne |first3=M. |date=2020-04-10 |title=Project Icarus: Designing a Fusion Powered Interstellar Probe |url=https://zenodo.org/record/3747274 |doi=10.5281/ZENODO.3747274}}</ref>
Project Icarus is divided into twenty research modules which encompass al of the spacecraft systems and sub-sytems, as well as the mission architecture. This includes:

*Module 1.0: Astronomical Target.
A number of members moved on to I4IS, the [[Initiative for Interstellar Studies]] or to [[Breakthrough Starshot]]. Project Icarus remains a British Interplanetary Society project, but has seen little activity since 2019.
*Module 2.0: Mission Analysis & Performance.

*Module 3.0: Vehicle Configuration.
== Former Team members ==
*Module 4.0: Primary Propulsion:
The Project Team was worldwide group made up of volunteers who were members of Icarus Interstellar or of the [[British Interplanetary Society]]. It had some notable members such as:
*Module 5.0: Secondary Propulsion:
* [[Stephen Baxter (author)|Stephen Baxter]], a science fiction author who is one of the designers
*Module 6.0: Fuel & Fuel Acquisition:
* [[Vint Cerf]], the American internet pioneer who is one of the project consultants
*Module 7.0: Structure & Materials:

*Module 8.0: Power Systems.
==See also==
*Module 9.0: Communications & Telemetry.
{{div col}}
*Module 10.0: Navigation & Guidance Control.
{{Portal|Spaceflight|Space}}
*Module 11.0: Computing & Data Management.
* [[Breakthrough Starshot]]
*Module 12.0: Environmental Control.
* [[Interstellar travel]]
*Module 13.0: Ground Station & Monitoring.
* [[Nuclear pulse propulsion]]
*Module 14.0: Science.
* [[Project Daedalus]]
*Module 15.0: Instruments & Payload.
* [[Project Longshot]]
*Module 16.0: Mechanisms.
* [[Spacecraft propulsion]]
*Module 17.0: Vehicle Assembly.
{{div col end}}
*Module 18.0: Vehicle Risk & Repair.
*Module 19.0: Design Realisation & Technological Maturity.
*Module 20.0: Design Certification.


==References==
==References==
Line 59: Line 59:


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://icarusinterstellar.org Project Icarus]
*[http://icarusinterstellar.org Icarus Interstellar website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713094205/http://www.icarusinterstellar.org/ |date=2021-07-13 }}, for updates and information about Project Icarus
*[https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/02/project-icarus-laying-the-plans-for-interstellar-travel/253335/ An article] in ''[[The Atlantic]]'' with more information and an interview with Andreas Tziolas (a team member in the project)
*[http://www.bis-spaceflight.com/sitesia.aspx/page/1964 Project Daedalus Symposium]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101009003817/http://www.bis-spaceflight.com/sitesia.aspx/page/1964 Project Daedalus Symposium]
*[http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=6758 Centauri Dreams]
*[http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=6758 Centauri Dreams—Icarus: Revisiting the Daedalus Starship]
*[http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/interstellar-space-probe-gains-speed-100507.html SPACE.com]
*[http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/interstellar-space-probe-gains-speed-100507.html SPACE.com—Futuristic Interstellar Space Probe Idea Revisited] by Leonard David, 7 May 2010
*[http://www.tauzero.aero/ The Tau Zero Foundation]


[[Category:Interstellar travel]]
[[Category:Interstellar travel]]
[[Category:Nuclear spacecraft propulsion|Icarus]]]
[[Category:Nuclear spacecraft propulsion|Icarus]]

[[de:Projekt Icarus]]
[[fr:Projet Icare]]
[[ru:Икар (проект)]]

Latest revision as of 17:23, 26 May 2024

Project Icarus is a theoretical engineering design study aimed at designing a credible, mainly nuclear fusion-based, unmanned interstellar space probe.[1] Project Icarus was an initiative of members of the British Interplanetary Society (BIS) and the Tau Zero Foundation (TZF) started in 2009. The project was under the stewardship of Icarus Interstellar until 2019. It remains a BIS project.

The project was planned to take around five years and began formally on September 30, 2009.[2] An international team of scientists and engineers was assembled and a number of papers were published on many aspects of Interstellar flight during the active phase of the project.[3]

History

[edit]

Project Icarus was founded, mainly, by Kelvin Long and Richard Obousy. The project was first announced at a conference at the United Kingdom Space Conference, held at Charterhouse, Surrey on 4 April 2009, when Kelvin Long had organized the first interstellar session. He then approached Richard Obousy about helping to set up the project. A symposium was organized by Kelvin Long and Ian Crawford at the British Interplanetary Society to review "Daedalus After 30 Years". As well as presentations from Long, Obousy and Crawford, it included presentations from future team members Richard Osborne, Martyn Fogg and Andreas Tziolas. Other future team members in the audience that day included Pat Galea and Rob Swinney. The genesis of the project is described in the original paper[4] as well as a history paper.[5]

Project Icarus focused on the technology challenges of interstellar travel.[6] "The required milestones should be defined in order to get to a potential launch of such a mission. This should include a credible design, mission profile, key technological development steps and other aspects as considered appropriate."[citation needed] These goals are to be achieved by technical reports on engineering layout, functionality, physics, operation and other aspects of such an interstellar ship.[6]

While Daedalus had relied on helium-3 propulsion depending on mining Neptune or Jupiter to produce sufficient helium-3; several other fuel sources and fusion types were researched.[6]

Members of the Project Icarus study group went on to form a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization called Icarus Interstellar, which then launched various other projects other than just Project Icarus. Icarus Interstellar has the mission of seeing interstellar flight achieved by the year 2100.

In September 2011, Project Icarus received a mention in the BBC's Sky at Night Programme.[7]

2013 Project Icarus design competition

[edit]

In 2013 a design competition internal to Icarus Interstellar was launched. During a final workshop at the British Interplanetary Society in October 2013 a team from the WARR student group of the Technical University of Munich under the leadership of Andreas M. Hein was nominated as the winner.[8]

Icarus Firefly, one of the competing designs, was later sufficiently developed to be presented as an article in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society.[9]

2019 Project review

[edit]

The supervision of the project by Icarus Interstellar ended in 2019, after failing to produce a workable, updated starship design. However, many papers were published as elements of the project, and the state of the art of Interstellar travel was advanced. A review of the project was published in 2020. [10]

A number of members moved on to I4IS, the Initiative for Interstellar Studies or to Breakthrough Starshot. Project Icarus remains a British Interplanetary Society project, but has seen little activity since 2019.

Former Team members

[edit]

The Project Team was worldwide group made up of volunteers who were members of Icarus Interstellar or of the British Interplanetary Society. It had some notable members such as:

  • Stephen Baxter, a science fiction author who is one of the designers
  • Vint Cerf, the American internet pioneer who is one of the project consultants

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ K.F. Long & R.K. Obousy 12th May 2010—Project Icarus: project programme document (PPD)–overview project plan covering period 2009–2014 pdf Archived 2012-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2012-01-25
  2. ^ Stephen Ashworth FBIS, "Project Icarus—Son of Daedalus", Spaceflight, 454–455 (December 2009).
  3. ^ "Icarus Interstellar". Icarus Interstellar. Retrieved 2017-06-24.
  4. ^ Long, K. F.; Fogg. M.; Obousy, R. K.; Tziolas, A.; Mann, A.; Osborne, R.; Presby, A. (2009). "Project Icarus: Son of Daedalus — Flying Closer to Another Star". Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. 62 (11/12): 403–414. Bibcode:2009JBIS...62..403L. ISSN 0007-084X.
  5. ^ Long, K. F.; Fogg, M.; Obousy, R. K.; Tziolas, A. (2011). "Technical Note—Project Icarus: The Origins and Aims of the Study". Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. 64 (3): 88–91. Bibcode:2011JBIS...64...88L. ISSN 0007-084X.
  6. ^ a b c Andersen, Ross (23 Feb 2012). "Project Icarus: Laying the Plans for Interstellar Travel". The Atlantic. Atlantic Monthly Group. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  7. ^ "BBC Four - the Sky at Night - Episodes tagged with Project Icarus (In…". Archived from the original on 18 May 2014.
  8. ^ Future Publishing Limited (2014-04-11). "Ghost Ship to Alpha Centauri |". Spaceanswers.com. Retrieved 2017-06-24.
  9. ^ Freedland, R. M.; Al, Et (2015). "Firefly Icarus: An Unmanned Interstellar Probe using Z-Pinch Fusion Propulsion". Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. 68: 68–80. Bibcode:2015JBIS...68...68F. ISSN 0007-084X.
  10. ^ Swinney, R.W.; Freeland II, R.M.; Lamontagne, M. (2020-04-10). Project Icarus: Designing a Fusion Powered Interstellar Probe (Report). doi:10.5281/ZENODO.3747274.
[edit]
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