NASA launches 100-year quest to send humans to the stars

[helwr]

The trough is too long: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/576530/kickstarter/u_shape_full.png

See "Kickstarter: Shorter project durations lead to higher funding rates": http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2684511

They'd be better off investing in nuclear propulsion R&D on a 5-10 year scale (Project Rover, phase IV):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover

[rbanffy]

If civilian nuclear power gets replaced by other forms of power generation, we'd have a surplus of rocket fuel. If present sentiment continues, investing in nuclear-thermal propulsion could result in something interesting.

Maybe I should start lobbying against nuclear power ;-)

However, before we start, we should have some clear, economically viable, destinations. An NTR is worthless for launching stuff to orbit and that is 99.999% of what current rockets do. Where it shines is in Earth-Moon ferries and in planetary exploration.

[thebooktocome]

Prediction: funding runs dry after five years.

I think only a few religious/academic institutions have managed to have ambitious projects in the 100-year range.

[wladimir]

I also have my hopes on commercial spaceflight these days, I don't think NASA is going anywhere anymore.

[Flenser]

I think only a few religious/academic institutions have managed to have ambitious projects in the 100-year range.

I'd be genuinely interested to hear if you could name any.

[synnik]

... and that is exactly how funding would have to work -- tied to an ongoing organization's operations. Academia has their endowments and perma-fundraising. Religions have donations and tithing. This effort would need an analogous long term funding source.

My first thought is that if 1% of all renewable energy revenue was sent to this effort, it would provide potentially massive funding as renewable energy grows. I don't know how to convince the greedy energy folk to give up 1%, but it sure sounds nice.

[perfunctory]

When I was a kid I was promised that in the 21st century we would have flying cars, hotels on Mars and space scouts exploring the galaxy back and forth. I am in the 21st century now and what do I get ... facebook? They've stolen my future. I want my future back. Cold war was fun.

[pavel_lishin]

> Cold war was fun.

On your side of the curtain, maybe.

[jerf]

It's 2011. Don't you think "where's my flying car" is getting a bit played out? It's in middle school.

[indrax]

The interesting thing is that they're not asking for innovative ideas about spaceflight, which you might expect from DARPA.

They're asking for ideas on optimal management and alternative funding for big long term projects. Spaceflight is just a widget example.

[jeffool]

As great as it is in theory, even agreeing with thebooktocom that it'll likely not happen... It hurts a bit knowing we'll never settle another planet in my lifetime.

[arethuza]

"in my lifetime"

First invent (effective) immortality then travel to the stars.

[waratuman]

This isn't NASA launching a quest, this is NASA / DARPA asking some else to take up the quest.

[jamesshamenski]

The citizens equivalent would be to offer a $500,000 dollar prize for the best idea to figure out how to turn myself into a quadrillionaire.

[bugsy]

You know, $500,000 is less than it costs a developer to buy a decent medium sized duplex house within reasonable commuting distance to a tech job in San Jose.

I don't really see $500k as an indication of any serious interest at all. It might as well be a grant for $37 plus whatever change, lint and gumdrops the proposal author happened to have in his pocket that day.

[ghotli]

This should reside under the foundation of the long now. Funded by wealthy visionaries backed by corporations instead of governments.

[ghotli]

Downvotes? Care to explain?

[Joakal]

Relevant, Project Icarus (A Joint Tau Zero Foundation & British Interplanetary Society Initiative): http://www.icarusinterstellar.org/

[DonnyV]

I would say spend the money on teleportation using entanglement. That would probably produce results faster then trying to move a large mass from one side of the universe to the other.

[weavejester]

Quantum teleportation doesn't solve the problem of having to send mass across the universe.

[thrillgore]

Sadly the Space Core's ability to add (and maybe subtract) was removed at manufacturing. This would set him up for the fall as NASA's first non-human, albeit humanly insane administrator.