FISW1.0 - 2017 Brooklyn, New York, USA
Organising Committee:
Co-Chairman: Kelvin F. Long, Interstellar Research Centre, Initiative for Interstellar Studies, Stellar Engines
Co-Chairman: Professor Roman Kezerashvili, CityTech
Secretary: Elena Ancona, Initiative for Interstellar Studies
Session Chairman: Harold ‘Sonny’ White, NASA Johnson Space Centre
US i4is Lead: Robert Kennedy III, Institute for Interstellar Studies
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
The 2017 workshop took place in the wonderful city of New York in the United States of America. The opening social evening took place at the Harvard Club of New York City, and whilst enjoying their drink and food, the participants were serenaded by a three-piece classical orchestra. They were also joined by art work exhibited by eight different artists.
Download Art Event booklet here
Download Art Event booklet cover here
The technical component of the workshop took place at New York City College of Technology. This was three days of scientific discussions on interstellar flight, focussed on the themes of (1) Energetic Reaction Engines (2) Sails and Beams (3) Breakthrough Propulsion.
The three days was represented by a diverse and international collection of scientists all working on different elements of the interstellar problem. The speakers included:
Session One: Energetic Reaction Engines
Keynote 1: Robert Kennedy III “The Fusion Fuel Resource Base in our Solar System”, Institute for Interstellar Studies.
Speaker 1: Michel Lamontagne, “Heat Transfer in Fusion Starship Radiation Shielding Systems”, Michel Lamontagne, Icarus Interstellar.
Speaker 2: Robert Freeland, “Plasma Dynamics in a Z-Pinch Fusion Engine”, Icarus Interstellar
Speaker 3: Raymond J Sedwick, “Continuous Grid Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion”, University of Maryland.
Speaker 4: Samuel Cohen and Charles Swanson, “Direct Fusion Drive for Interstellar Exploration”, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Speaker 5: Regina Sullivan, “High Beta Cusp Confinement: A Path to Compact Fusion”, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works.
Speaker 6: Ryan Weed, “Positron Propulsion for Interplanetary and Interstellar Travel”, Positron Dynamics.
Speaker 7: Elena Ancona and Roman Ya Kezerashvili, “Combined Thermal Desorption and Electrical Propulsion of Sailcraft using Space Environmental Effect”, City Tech New York.
Session Two: Sails and Beams
Keynote 2: Edward E Montgomery and Les Johnson, “Solar Sail Propulsion: A Roadmap from Today's Technology to Interstellar Sailships”, NASA Marshall Spaceflight Centre.
Speaker 8: Philip M Lubin, “Enabling the First Generation of Interstellar Mission”, University California Santa Barbara, Breakthrough Initiatives.
Speaker 9: Andreas Hein, Kelvin F Long et al., “The Andromeda Study: A Femto-Spacecraft Mission to Alpha Centauri, Initiative for Interstellar Studies.
Speaker 10: Jeremy Munday, “Reflective Control Devices for Attitude Control of Solar Sails”,
Speaker 11: Al A Jackson, “Gram-Scale Nano-Spacecraft Entry into Star Systems”, Lunar and Planetary Institute.
Speaker 12: Gregory Matloff, “Effects of Enhanced Graphene Reflection on Performance of Sun-Launched Interstellar Arks”, City University New York, Breakthrough Initiatives.
Speaker 13: Eric T Malroy, “Rigid Light Sail Dynamics and Control for Launch and Acceleration Using Controlled Optical Metamaterials”, NASA Johnson Space Centre.
Speaker 14: Kelvin F Long, “The Prediction of Particle Bombardment Interaction Physics due to Ions, Electrons and Dust in the Interstellar medium on a Gram-Scale Interstellar Probe”, Initiative for Interstellar Studies, Breakthrough Initiatives.
Speaker 15: Andrew J Higgins, “Accelerator Technologies for Simulation of Dust Impacts at Starflight Velocities”, McGill University, Quebec.
Session Three: Breakthrough Propulsion
Keynote 3: Harold G White, “Pilot Wave Model for Impulsive Thrust from RF Test Device Measured in Vacuum”, NASA Johnson Space Centre.
Speaker 16: Roman Kezerashvili, “Tests of Fundamental Laws and Principles of Physics in Interstellar Flight”, City University New York.
Speaker 17: Heidi Fearn, Jose Rodal and J. F. Woodward, “Mach Effect Gravitational Assist Drive”, California State University Fullerton
Speaker 18: Glen A Robertson, “Entanglement and Chameleon Acceleration”,
Speaker 19: Lon Litchford, “Breakthrough Propulsion Capability Development Strategy”,
Speaker 20: Remo Garattini, “Self-Sustained Traversable Wormholes and Casimir Energy”, Initiative for Interstellar Studies and University of Bergamo, Italy.
Speaker 21: Ralph McNutt, “Human Exploration of the Solar System as a Precursor to Interstellar Travel: Outlook and Realities”, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
Speaker 22: Robert L DeBiase, “The Equivalence of Internal and External Energy Source Interpretations of the Casimir Effect and their Implications for Interstellar Travel”,
Speaker 23: Louis Friedman and Slava G Turyshev, “First Stop on the Interstellar Journey: The Solar Gravity Lens Focus”, The Planetary Society, California Institute of Technology.
Several posters were also presented at this meeting including:
Mach Effects for In-Space Propulsion: An Interstellar Mission, Heidi Fearn et al.
Continuous Electrode Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion, Raymond Sedwick et al.
A Bussard Ramjet with Twist and Flare, Pete N Ness.
Fostering Breakthroughs in Interstellar Propulsion, John G Hartley.
Reflective Control Devices for Attitude Control of Solar Sails, Jeremy N Munday et al.
The Equivalence of Internal and External Energy Source Interpretations of the Casimir Effect, Robert L DeBiase.
photos from the 2017 workshop
The following is a random collection of photos from the 2017 Foundations of Interstellar Studies workshop that took place in New York. We had a lot of fun, and we are sure that the second workshop will be just as successful. Thank you to all that participated.
