Interstellar Space Travel End of Exams Presentation Group J
Saeed Ascroft, Charlotte Nedd, Anna Pearson 11 th June 2013
Slide 2
Where do we want to go? -Habitable Planets, Charlotte Nedd What
is stopping us? -The limitations of the human body, Anna Pearson
What does it take? -The Spacecraft of the Future, Saeed Ascroft
Talk Overview
Slide 3
Habitable Planets
Slide 4
Habitable Planets Why interstellar travel? Hope for a better
future Curiosity Revolutionary advancements Social issues;
population limits, sustainability, governance etc Long-range
thinking on goals before need for solution is here. More career
options that benefit humanity.
Slide 5
Habitable planets Criteria for living. Stars luminosity + T
Planets distance Planets mass and radius Planets mass, radius,
distance Stars luminosity
Slide 6
Habitable Planets Criteria for living Planets radius, density,
escape velocity, surface T Surface T Relative humidity Planetary
Class Habitable Class
Slide 7
Habitable Planets How far are we talking? Nearest star Proxima
Centauri 4.3 light years not a likely host to planets Few
possibilities within roughly 10 light years Walking 2.3 billion
years Driving 30 million years Fastest spacecraft 100,000 years
Don't judge me.
Slide 8
Habitable Planets Catalog
Slide 9
Habitable Planets Tau Ceti e Distance 11.9 ly Mass (Earth
masses) 5 Radius (Earth radii) 1.9 Surface T (degrees C) 68
ESISPHHZDHZCHZApClasshClasss 0.740.00-0.910.290.25warm
superterranthermoplanet
Slide 10
The Limitations of the Human Body
Slide 11
Obvious Problems Food Water Waste Lack of Sunlight Pressure
Difference - 6.3kPa boiling point of water at body temp
Slide 12
ionized atoms ranging from a single proton up to an uranium
nucleus Outside the shielding of the earths magnetic field this
would become a problem Galactic Cosmic Radiation Between the Apollo
16 and 17 missions a solar proton event occurred that produced
radiation levels of sufficient energy that the astronauts outside
of the Earths magnetosphere would have absorbed lethal doses within
10 hours after the start of the event
Slide 13
Microgravity Muscle atrophy Loss of proprioception Fluid
redistribution leads to moon-face Loss of bone density 1.5% bone
tissue lost per month the loss of bone density of 3-4 months in
space takes 2- 3 years to regain on earth