Images Dated 25th January 2005

Ramscoop spaceship

Ramscoop spaceship, computer artwork. This is a theoretical spaceship that is suitable for travel to the stars. Instead of carrying fuel, it uses the hydrogen gas found between the stars. Even though the interstellar hydrogen density is very low, a powerful magnetic field would be generated to scoop hydrogen from a large volume of space. The hydrogen would pass into the fuel scoops and then into a fusion reactor. Hot plasma from the reactor would exit through exhaust nozzles, providing thrust. Such a ship could approach the speed of light, when relativity effects would lead to short journey times to the stars for travellers relative to non-travellers

© CHRISTIAN DARKIN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Moon base

Moon base. Computer artwork of an astronaut at a base on the Moon. Humans will require protective suits and sealed buildings when on the Moon. This is because the Moon has no atmosphere and a wide range of surface temperatures from -170 (night) to 127 (day) degrees Celsius. The lunar day-and-night cycle is nearly 30 Earth-days long. The Moon has a gravity that is about a sixth of that of the Earth. Storage tanks (upper left) will include the water, oxygen and fuel needed by the astronauts. A wheel of a moon rover is seen at right. On the ground are solar panels to provide energy. The Moon is about 384, 000 kilometres from the Earth (seen in background)

© CHRISTIAN DARKIN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Mars colony

Mars colony, computer artwork. The first bases on Mars are likely to resemble chemical plants. They will have sealed buildings to protect colonists from the thin atmosphere that is nearly all carbon dioxide, and the freezing surface temperature that ranges from -89 to -31 degrees Celsius. Inside the large domes, there are plants that will help recycle the carbon dioxide into oxygen, and also provide food. The tanks around the base will store oxygen, water, fuel and other chemicals. These may be manufactured from raw materials on Mars. Mars is a rocky, desert world, and has a gravity around a third of that of Earth

© CHRISTIAN DARKIN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY