Date: Saturday 30 September 2023, 09:00-1800 BST
Venue: BIS HQ, London and Online
PROJECT ICARUS – Son of Daedalus – Final Conclusions of the Starship Design Study
On the 30th of September over 10 years ago, Project Icarus kicked off at the BIS HQ with a symposium which included key members of the 1970s BIS Daedalus study team in attendance. Daedalus aimed to show that interstellar travel was feasible and produced the famous Daedalus (‘ICF’) fusion powered 2-stage probe, still arguably one of the most complete designs for such an endeavour. The BIS members at the Project Icarus launch hoped to ‘re-do’ Daedalus considering some 30 years of fusion research since the ‘70s and design a new credible Icarus interstellar probe – son of Daedalus.
Some 5 years of hard research and design followed, and the Project Icarus team came up with several Icarus variants (based on modes of fusion and propellant), pre-eminently among them ‘Firefly’ but also others such as Resolution/Endeavour that would become ‘Pegasus’.
In the subsequent years, step by step progress ensued although many outside of the project team may have thought the project had already ended, but some of the team persevered. They kept trying to resolve some critical issues and improve design details. Indeed, the whole process illustrates many interesting facets of a voluntary project team, from helping to win a US$500,000 DARPA award to almost complete breakdown and rebirth
The symposium on the anniversary aims to provide a ‘book end’ to BIS Project Icarus and the designs. If you would like to hear from those that know, key members of the Project Icarus Core Design Team, then this symposium is for you. Confirmed Speakers:
Co-Chairs – Rob Swinney and Ian Crawford
Background to Project Icarus – Kelvin F. Long
A Technical Review of Project Daedalus – Adam Crowl
Spacecraft Concepts and the Design Process – Rob Swinney
Pegasus Spacecraft Concept Design – Kelvin F. Long
Firefly Spacecraft Concept Design – Robert Freeland II
Heat Radiator Design – Michel Lamontagne
Power Systems, Payload Technologies, and Infrastructure – Richard Osbourne
A Scientific Payload for an Interstellar Probe – Ian Crawford
Final Design Statement, Metrics and Project Goals – Rob Swinney
Reflections for the Future – Stephen Baxter
An Open Discussion – all
Timetable: The detailed programme is being finalised, but it is anticipated the event will be from 9:00am through to 6:00pm and a light buffet lunch will be provided.
