"The 100-Year Starship Study is a project seeded by DARPA to develop a viable and sustainable model for persistent, long-term, private-sector investment into the myriad of disciplines needed to make long-distance space travel practicable and feasible," the DARPA request reads.
NASA's Ames Research Center is collaborating with DARPA on the $1 million study, which should be completed by the end of the year. The two organizations want suggestions for how best to structure, manage and fund a project that must last at least 100 years. And that's where last week's request comes in. "The respondent must focus on flexible yet robust mechanisms by which an endowment can be created and sustained, wholly devoid of government subsidy or control, and by which worthwhile undertakings — in the sciences, engineering, humanities, or the arts — may be awarded in pursuit of the vision of interstellar flight," DARPA officials explained.
DARPA's deadline for suggestions is June 3. The agency said it does not anticipate awarding a contract based on the information it receives this time around. The 100-Year Starship project aims to enable a manned journey between the stars sometime in the next century or so. Space.com
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