Philip Lubin
University of California
Phase II Overview
Directed Energy Interstellar Precursors
***UPDATED April 12, 2016***
In 2015, the NIAC program selected University of California, Santa Barbara Professor Philip Lubin’s study on directed energy propulsion for exploring other worlds. NASA is pleased to hear that Professor Lubin has received external funding to continue the work started in his NIAC study. When the study’s final report has been cleared for 508 compliance, it will be posted here.
The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program focuses research on futuristic but technically credible concepts that could one day “change the possible” in aerospace.
Description
We propose a system that will allow us to take a significant step towards interstellar exploration using directed energy propulsion combined with wafer scale spacecraft. One of NASA’s goals and one of humanity’s grand challenges is to explore other planetary systems by remote sensing, sending probes, and eventually life to explore. This is a long standing and difficult to implement dream. The technological challenges are formidable. A step in this direction is to send small probes that will supplement the current long range remote sensing done by orbital telescopes.
