"To include a crew on a mission that will take decades to centuries presents many engineering and environmental control issues. For human transport the only credible way is a generation ship or a World Ship, carrying tens to hundreds of people who will arrive at the destination and attempt to colonise one of the planets. Before they go, much about the planet will already be known, from long distance exoplanet discoveries.

"In terms of sending an unmanned probe, the main motivation for this is science return. Long range astronomical observations will improve over time with higher fidelity measurements, but it is difficult to compete with having an actual spacecraft in the system able to study any stars or planets close up, perhaps deploying planetary probes and landers - ultimately looking for signs of life. Along the way, the probe can also conduct valuable science such as improving astronomical parallax measurements or looking for gravity waves. The exploration of the cosmos is the main reason for launching a probe like Icarus.

"Ultimately, we would like to find life in the Universe and ideally intelligent life other than our own. Conducting theoretical studies like... Project Icarus is the only way we can push forward to the stage where we can eventually build something like it, and then perhaps someday go see for ourselves."

Project Icarus!

Son of Daedalus : Flying closer to another star

Project Icarus is a Tau Zero Foundation (TZF) initiative in collaboration with The British Interplanetary Society (BIS). Daedalus was a BIS project in the late 1970's conducted over several years, to design an interstellar probe for a flyby mission to Barnards Star. Over three decades has now passed and it is an opportunity to revisit this unique design study.

Daedalus and Icarus were characters from ancient Greek mythology. In an attempt to escape the labyrinth prison of King Minos, Icarus father Daedalus fashioned a pair of wings for both himself and his son made of feathers and wax. But Icarus soared through the sky joyfully and flew too close to the sun melting the wax on his wings. He fell into the sea and died after having 'touched' the sky. Project Icarus aims to 'touch' the stars and escape from the bounds of mother Earth. Over three decades have passed since Daedalus and now is a good time to revisit the design study, in light of scientific and technological advancements.

In the introduction to the Daedalus study report Alan Bond states that "it is hoped that these 'cunningly wrought' designs of Daedalus will be tested by modern day equivalents of Icarus, who will hopefully survive to suggest better methods and techniques which will work where those of Daedalus may fail, and that the results of this study will bring the day when mankind will reach out to the stars a step nearer".

To contact the Icarus team email : info@icarusinterstellar.org

A word from Marc Millis - Icarus Consultant and Former Project Manager of the Nasa Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project.

The quest for interstellar flight requires many different approaches, spanning the seemingly simple solar sail to the seemingly impossible warp drive. Project ICARUS is between these extremes, taking a detailed, rigorous look at the edge of projected technology in the context of a realistically demanding interstellar mission. It is a sequel to the seminal 1978 "Project Daedalus" of the British Interplanetary Society that injected a much-needed dose of reality into what was previously loose speculation on interstellar probes. Over the decades since Daedalus, there has not been a genuinely detailed re-assessment of what is possible with foreseeable technology - when pushed to its limit. Absent of such an assessment, it is difficult to realistically project what might be possible, when it might become possible, and how much it will take to make it possible. Such a sanity check will put a dose of reality back into loose speculations of interstellar travel options. Also, with such substance behind its visions, it will give students reliable starting points from which to make the required advancements in their careers.

- Marc Millis. March 2010

President of the Tau Zero Foundation