Building a starship is do-able with current technology. It would require a crew that viewed life aboard a starship as a way-of-life rather than a temporary ride from A to B, but...hey, I think I know a few potential volunteers. ;-) All the essential tech is in the can: Nuclear power, orbital capacity, shielding. That is really all you need. Plus political will and a lot of money.
In round numbers: About 3 years worth of Wal-mart revenues would do it. Imagine: The same amount that we spend on cheaply-made, soon to be broken crap from Wal-mart...and we could have ourselves a starship.
At 0.01G (1% of G acceleration, well within the reach of nuclear power sources), an adult boarding at Earth could expect to reach the nearest star within his/her lifetime, thus becoming the first true "ASTRO-NAUT".
If we could get it up to 4% of G, there are well over 100 stars within an adult human's lifetime to explore.
Cost: 1 Trillion dollars.
In round numbers: About 3 years worth of Wal-mart revenues would do it. Imagine: The same amount that we spend on cheaply-made, soon to be broken crap from Wal-mart...and we could have ourselves a starship.
At 0.01G (1% of G acceleration, well within the reach of nuclear power sources), an adult boarding at Earth could expect to reach the nearest star within his/her lifetime, thus becoming the first true "ASTRO-NAUT".
If we could get it up to 4% of G, there are well over 100 stars within an adult human's lifetime to explore.
Cost: 1 Trillion dollars.
