Centauri Dreams will be in Princeton over the weekend for the New Trends in Astrodynamics conference (Web site here). Topics are to range from upcoming missions to low-energy trajectories (a specialty of conference organizer Edward Belbruno) and near-Earth object impact projections. Among the papers targeting advanced propulsion technologies:
I will be presenting “The Interstellar Conundrum: A Survey of Concepts and Proposed Solutions.” And it will be wonderful to have the chance to talk to two Italian theorists, Giancarlo Genta (Politecnico di Torino) and Claudio Maccone (Alenia Spazio), whose work I have long admired.
It should be a rich and full weekend, busy enough to require a brief suspension of postings here. Centauri Dreams will resume its normal publication schedule next Tuesday.
My research indicates the best starship design will have a ramjet assisted interstellar rocket propulsion system combined with either a light sail
or a nuclear pulse drive , or a nuclear electric rocket drive .
tim