By 
November 9th, 2024
Image credit: Initiative for Interstellar Studies
Here’s a travel dispatch…
A design competition has been announced to explore the feasibility of crewed interstellar travel via generation ships, using current and near-future technologies.
Called Project Hyperion, the contest centers on crafting a generation ship designed for long-duration interstellar travel, where the journey may take centuries to complete.
The idea behind a generation ship is that the initial crew would live, reproduce, and die on the ship, with their descendants continuing the journey until reaching the long-haul destination point. These ships are self-sustaining ecosystems, featuring agriculture, habitation, and other essential life-support systems to ensure survival across multiple generations.
Image credit: Initiative for Interstellar Studies
Multi-disciplinary teams
The competition is offering cash prizes and is running from November 1, 2024 to June 2, 2025 and is open to all. Announcement of the winners is pegged at June 2, 2025.
There is a registration fee of $20 with inscriptions to be accepted until December 15, 2024.
The team composition for competing in the contest is to be multi-disciplinary. A suggested makeup of each team is having at least one architectural designer; at least one engineer; at least one social scientist (sociologist, anthropologist, etc.).
Starships in our lifetime
Sponsor of the Project Hyperion design competition is the Initiative for Interstellar Studies (i4is) is based in London, England with a U.S. sister office in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
The Initiative is working towards the achievement of interstellar flight through knowledge to the stars — Starships in our lifetime.
For more information, go to:
https://www.projecthyperion.org/
A downloadable brief on the competition can be found at:
https://www.projecthyperion.org/_files/ugd/91ab16_ce159a8f438b4f529a46df6b70681978.pdf
The Initiative for Interstellar Studies website is at:
Posted in Space News
