Generation ship

[3] Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, considered a father of astronautic theory, first described the need for multiple generations of passengers in his essay, "The Future of Earth and Mankind" (1928), outlining a space colony equipped with engines that travels thousands of years which he called "Noah's Ark".

He wrote about the concept of human evolution and mankind's future in space through methods of living that we now describe as a generation starship, and which could be seen in the generic word "globes".

Small artificial closed ecosystems, such as Biosphere 2, have been built in an attempt to examine the engineering challenges of such a system, with mixed results.

[8] Generation ships would have to anticipate possible biological, social and morale problems,[9] and would also need to deal with matters of self-worth and purpose for the various crews involved.

[10] In 2013, anthropologist Cameron Smith reviewed existing literature and created a new computer model to estimate a minimum reasonable population in the tens of thousands.

A smaller spacecraft, while able to accelerate more easily and thus make higher cruise velocities more practical, would reduce exposure to cosmic radiation and the time for malfunctions to develop in the craft, but would have challenges with resource metabolic flow and ecologic balance.

This state was described by Algis Budrys in a 1966 book review:[14] The slower-than-light interstellar spaceship, pursuing its way through the weary centuries, its crew losing touch with all reality save the interior of the vessel ... Well, you know the story, and its unhappy downhill round, its exciting struggles between the barbarian tribes which develop in its disparate compartments, and then, if the writer is so minded, the ultimate flash of hope as the good guys win out and prepare to meet their future on some noble, if erroneous basis.Robert A. Heinlein's Orphans of the Sky (the "impeccable statement of this theme", Budrys said)[14] and Brian Aldiss's Non-Stop (U.S. title: Starship) discussed such societies.

Like other ionizing radiation, high-energy cosmic rays can damage DNA and increase the risk of cancer, cataracts, and neurological disorders.

Project Hyperion, launched in December 2011 by Andreas M. Hein, was to perform a preliminary study that defines integrated concepts for a crewed interstellar generation ship.