Project Daedalus: the ranking of nearby stellar systems for exploration.
Abstract
A simple analysis is presented which assigns weights to various factors relevant to near-stellar exploration and which allows the importance of missions to the nearby stars to be assessed relative to each other. The analysis is based on a scheme originated by Archer and O'Donnell (1971), but several modifications have been made. The ranking method which results has been applied to 13 nearby stars and stellar systems. Alpha Centauri A/B has the highest rank of any mission considered, with Barnard's Star second (with a mission importance of about 30% of the first ranked mission), followed by 61 Cygni A/B, Tau Ceti, and epsilon Eridani (about 20% importance).
- Publication:
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Journal of the British Interplanetary Society
- Pub Date:
- February 1976
- Bibcode:
- 1976JBIS...29...94M
- Keywords:
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- Interstellar Travel;
- Mission Planning;
- Extrasolar Planets;
- Extraterrestrial Life;
- Stellar Evolution;
- Astronomy