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The Planetary Report • January/February 2003
To the Stars!
On the Cover: Ever since our ancestors realized that the lights in the sky were other suns like our own—and that around those suns might orbit other worlds, perhaps like Earth—we’ve wanted to visit. It may not happen for centuries, but we’re working on it. We’ll get there.
Features
5 To the Stars! Louis Friedman shares his passion for solar sail propulsion.
6 The Stars Our Destination? The Feasibility of Interstellar Travel: Timely words from Robert Forward on techniques for interstellar flight.
10 Bridging the Gap: A Discussion with Freeman Dyson: Freeman Dyson spends a morning at our Society offices discussing the possibilities for interstellar flight.
16 The Ultimate Rocket: Doing Better Than the Sun: Greg Benford and Jim Benford are identical twin physicists working with the Society on an innovative experiement with our Cosmos-1 solar sail.
Departments
3 Members' Dialogue Historic missions; Carl Sagan
15 World Watch NASA Scout mission downselection; Russian space program stalls; Venus Express
20 Q&A How do we know hydrogen on Mars is water? What is the fate of Neptune's rings?
22 Society News Scholarships and grants, annual audit, and an expedition to Argentina
The Planetary Report • January/February 2003
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