And now, on to the stars…

My aim for today’s Family First site was to find a good tribute to one of my all-time favorite science fiction novels: Poul Anderson’s Tau Zero. I was unable to find a good comprehensive one, but there’s a good brief writeup of the book that inspired many to become physicists at today’s pick: Centauri Dreams.

The site is the blog of noted writer Paul Gilster. He uses occasional terms unfamiliar to the layman, but it would be worth your while to stretch your mind to keep up with him. Here’s the site’s mission:

Alpha Centauri and other nearby stars seem impossible destinations not just for manned missions but even for robotic probes like Cassini or Galileo. Nonetheless, serious work on propulsion, communications, long-life electronics and spacecraft autonomy continues at NASA, ESA, and many other venues, some in academia, some in private industry. The goal of reaching the stars is a distant one and the work remains low-key, but fascinating ideas continue to emerge. This site will track current research. I’ll also throw in the occasional musing about the literary and cultural implications of interstellar flight. Ultimately, the challenge may be as much philosophical as technological: to reassert the value of the long haul in a time of jittery short-term thinking.

Besides the Tau Zero piece, you’ll find lots of postings on space exploration, cosmology, and astronomy. Plus, you’ll find the occasional reference to science fiction.

Man, I’m bummed that he found that the Bussard ramjet was impractical. That was going to be my ticket to the next planetary system. Well, back to the drawing board…

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[tags]family first,science fiction,centauri dreams,poul anderson,tau zero,paul gilster,alpha centauri[/tags]