Rather than building an interstellar 'worldship,' a smaller Colonized Interstellar Vessel may be our ticket to the stars.
Steve Summerford is a landscape architect, urban planner and a concept illustrator working with Icarus Interstellar on Project Hyperion, a study of manned interstellar flight and colonization of other worlds.
ANALYSIS: What Would an Interstellar 'Worldship' Look Like?
The notion of humanity exploring distant worlds has long been the substance of dreams; from early Renaissance thinkers condemned for their heretical thinking, to fodder for modern day science fiction plots.
With humanity's insatiable appetite for knowledge and discovery, it is only natural that armed with enough curiosity we should seek to explore new horizons.
Historically, conceptual interstellar travel has lent itself to visions of grandiose 'worldships,' replete with acres of rolling hills, lakes, and suburbs nestled within the largest metallic superstructures ever imagined. However, such massive designs are inevitably met with dismissal; if for nothing else due to their incomprehensible scale (some vessels have been proposed in excess of 20 miles in length).
By focusing on the delicate balance between the need for survival and the desire for mental stimulation, but with cognition of technological feasibility, perhaps a more attainable vessel architecture begins to emerge.
Rather than proceeding with the idea of developing an outsized 'worldship,' this article aims to stimulate discussion in search of the design equilibrium for a smaller vessel conceptually referred to as a 'Colonized Interstellar Vessel', or CIV.
When mankind takes to interstellar space, the living space onboard starships would need to be as familiar as neighborhoods on Earth.
That's one way of doing it. But the effects of extremely long duration space travel on human pshysiology and psychology are highly problematic. Better to learn how the apparently non-terrestrial entities who have been regularly visiting Earth are doing it. To read more, click here.