I've heard about this idea since I was a kid. I don't understand where the force comes from. In an atmosphere, the expanding gasses from an atomic bomb create enormous over-pressure. When I imagine one going off in space, I imagine the bomb getting really hot quickly, giving off a burst of radiation, and then slowly cooling by radiational cooling. In this model, you could be right next to it in space, shielded by a big block of lead, and not even know it went off. There's no sound. The light shoots around the sides of the Pb shield without bouncing off anything.

So for such a system to work, it seems like you'd have to carry a good deal of material that expands as a gas when heated.

The states that signed the treaty would likely make that an extremely difficult undertaking (probability of success nearing 0), Owlsrayne, at least at this point in the time line ;^) Sounds like a plot from an Ian Fleming novel.

Yes, the non-prolif treaty otherwise known as the Outer Space Treaty (more formally the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies.) Statists sure are long winded.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_S...

Niven and Pournell used the Orion as a major plot device in their book Footfall in 1985, so its been around a long time. Superb alien invasion sci-fi book, btw. Poul Anderson's 1983 novel Orion Shall Rise used it, too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

Thanks for sci-fi-heavy response. :)

" If, at warp 9, it takes 70 years to go from one quadrant of our galaxy to another,"
This was always hard to understand because if the major powers in Star Trek take up the good part of a quadrant, travelling from one end to the other would take years.

"Question. Are we worthy?"
From a philosophical point of view, we're every bit as worthy of basic rights as members of primitive band of hunter/gatherers or members of some unimaginably advanced society.

This question, "are we worthy" was a theme in the miniseries for the reimagined BSG, and the question seemed to echo through the first two seasons. (I didn't finish the series and may go back to it.)

Not if was built by a corporation. Then a corporation would have to build it at a Lagrange point near Earth. Anyway, there is much harsher radiation in outer space, than the 2 kiloton damped radiation propulsion device. The original testing found that if they used Urea in the devices damped the output of radiation.

I do not recall. Enlighten me, please.

You sir, are a serious sci fi person. Have you heard of Axanar?

Seriously, they have considered it for a long time (I guess the 20 year range). The main issue was the number of 2KT nukes needed, and the fact it would be so large as to be near impossible to lift components from earth, requiring space fabrication tech no one has yet to create. I assume the non proliferation treaty you mention?

"A Gulch at last! Anyone up for a road trip?" Are you sure? What if we put in all that effort only to find that the weather is terrible and the resident aliens are all socialists?

As far as I know the issue has not been settled. Does, for example, the gravitational field point to the future position of the Sun 8 minutes in the future rather than where the sun apparently appears? There does not seem to be a perceivable aberration which would indicate that gravity points toward the future positions of the Sun and the Earth. The last I saw was about 10^8c if there is not something about gravity that will cancel the aberration.
As for the Earth like planet, long term of a generation length have been done with the Voyager spacecrafts. Nice to have a career length project.

I think such a craft would be prohibited by the Outer Space Treaty.

You do not have to wonder. If, at warp 9, it takes 70 years to go from one quadrant of our galaxy to another, and knowing there are more galaxies than we can count (not having found them all) it would be ridiculous to think, with all that space, there are only a few planets like ours. There must be billions of planets with sentient life. Billions more that could support humans. Question. Are we worthy? Considering how the countries on this planet treat each other, maybe it's a good thing it takes so long to get from one star to another. From here to there. Or, for that matter, from there to here.
So, a toast:

"May cultural differences encourage us to build bridges of understanding to all that makes us unique."

Seven of Nine; Tertiary Adjunct of Uni Matrix 01

My favorite viable interstellar craft would be the Project Orion Vehicle as originally designed by General Atomics. The ablative pusher plate design with massive shock absorber cylinders using 2 kiloton bombs could push the craft at high enough velocities that going to Proxima Centauri is doable. Of course the ship would have to be assembled in low earth orbit. The Upper section could have a ring type of design so the entire ship could be spun on it axis to simulate gravity for the crew. This would be more desireable than tumble the vehicle end over end as originally thought of back in the fifties. For further info: Project Orion by George Dyson, Pub:Henry Holt & Co.2002.

Life by its very nature is highly adaptable and is much more resilient than we usually imagine!

Thank you for the interesting article however I must confess, the equations themselves are beyond my area of expertise but the narrative was quite clear albeit not so much in certain areas (it could definitely be my limited knowledge of the subject matter).

With that being said, this treatise/paper is dated 1999 with supporting citations being prior to that date. Could it be that work having taken place over the past 17 years might have advanced the body of knowledge beyond that which went into the study? It seems that even from the narrative, there are areas of speculation whereas hard evidence lacking or perhaps assumed in forming the hypothesis. Also, was this paper peer reviewed?

In closing, your pointing me in the direction of this study is greatly appreciated and will be honestly considered.

This paper may require you to do some study so that you can have an idea about what you believe about the speed of gravity, where aberration would seem to indicate gravity traveling at much more than 800 times faster than light, but it turns out that gravitational equations cancel such speeds when analyzed carefully.

http://arxiv.org/pdf/gr-qc/9909087.pdf

Freedom, That may be, indeed. However, it does seem to be a spur on research and maybe some breakthrough. If there is a target in reach, it makes it easier to convince people to fund it, although with all the graft, we will run out before ever making it...sad to say.

Nickursis , I would never go even if it was plausible. I would drive myself crazy asking if we are there yet.
Thanks for the link .

Thank you ProfChuck, Your experience and historical observations as a pioneer in This exciting field is appreciated. With the rapid advancement in technology , simulation ,new discoveries the future, has tremendous treasures to uncover.

Private corps are the key to the long term success of interstellar exploration and exploitation of resources. The biggest risk to our advancement is the creeping or leaping collectivism. The lack of govt support for private property or intellectual property. Sarbanes Oxley, regulations snuffing out the entrepreneur and his motivation.

With the right conditions and time , the evolution of life , the natural tenaciousness of a will to live and the adapting of and taking advantage of the environments resources , the possibilities are
Boundless. Life on this planet survives in conditions that are deadly for us.

Good eve CircuitGuy To me that is also the most telling aspect of the discovery. With 100,000,000,000 stars in our galaxy and 100,000,000,000 galaxies is that the closest star system has a potential Earth like planet.
Particularly when the many factors such as age of universe ,our planet and the incredibly short time humans have been here. There are likely millions of planets that have a moon and water and an atmosphere.
Drake would have used this and the hundreds of new discoveries since the Kepler launch to increase the multiple of his formula.

Good book and seemed to be fairly plausible.

Kim Stanley Robinson's "Aurora" deals with such a trip in a fairly realistic way. They went at 10% of the speed of light to Tau Ceti about 8 light years away. Took them 150 years with about five generations born on the giant two wheeled starship, the rotating wheels producing artificial gravity. Things did not, of course, turn out as planned.

The science is so, SO exciting to me. Good find.