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The Institute for Interstellar Studies is an organization set up to help catalyse interstelar research and development capability. It also hosts an educational academy. The Institute also hosts a knowledge capture web site called the Interstellar Index.

History
It was founded in August 2012, sixty years after the publication of the first academic technical paper on the interstellar studies by Dr Les Shepherd, published in 1952 in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. This is regarded by some as argably the start of interstellar studies as a series subject, separating interstellar travel from just the science fiction visions of the past.

The mission of the Institute for Interstellar Studies is to conduct activities or research relating to the challenges of achieving robotic and human interstellar flight. We will address the scientific, technological, political and social and cultural issues. We will seed high-risk high-gain initiatives, and foster the breakthroughs where they are required. We will work with anyone co-operatively from the global community who desires to invest their time, energy and resources towards catalyzing an interstellar civilization. Our goal is to create the conditions on Earth and in space so that starflight becomes possible by the end of the twenty first century or sooner by helping to create an interplanetary and then an interstellar explorer species. We will seek out evidence of life beyond the Earth, wherever it is to be found. We will achieve this by harnessing knowledge, new technologies, imagination and intellectual value to create innovative design and development concepts, defined and targeted public outreach events as well as cutting edge entrepreneurial and educational programs.

It was founded principally by Kelvin Long, George Abbey Jnr, Rob Swinney, Pamela Menges and Jeremy Clark.

Structure
The Institute is governed by a Board of Directors and an elite group known as the Senior Advisory Council. The institue has several divisions which are briefly described.

The Life Science & Evolution Division

The Biology Group Conducts research into the effect on biological systems in space and in particular the effect on humans during deep space missions. This also includes the effect on human evolution from living in a low micro-gravity environment over many generations.

Space Medicine Group The Space Medicine Group explores techniques, processes and solutions for solving human illness related problems in space. This also includes emergency medicine in a remote environment from Earth.

Exobiology Group The Exobiology Group explores the possibility of life forms existing external to the Earth. This may be on other planets, in comets or other hostile environments. Its research encompasses predictive biological evolution for different environments, bacteria in hostile conditions and the emergence of intelligent life elsewhere.

Artificial Habitats Group The Artificial Habitats Group explores the design and construction of space stations or planetary/lunar stations which are capable of holding human populations. The designs are linked to human fundamental requirements

Natural Habitats Group The Natural Habitats Group studies moons, planets or other objects that are capable of holding a human population. Artificial Intelligence Group The Artificial Intelligence Group studies advanced computing and other intelligent architectures, the coupling between technology and humans, and the emergence of artificially intelligent machines.

The Politics & Economics Division

Space Policy Group The Space Policy Group examines the key factors in political decisions which lead to the initiation and failure of major space endeavours. It also examines international space policies as obstacles to making progress in the exploration of space.

Space Leadership & Governance Group The Space Leadership and Governance Group examines space organizations throughout history, how they are led and managed, linking this to the success or failure of major space endeavours.

International Co-operation Group The International Co-operation Group examines the space policies of different countries and commercial operators and considers ways in which they can work together for mutual benefit, using existing legal structures or by the creation of new ones.

Business & Entrepreneurship Group The Business & Entrepreneurship Group examines the role of business in the exploration of space. This includes the identification and facilitation of business incentives and opportunities for entrepreneurs who wish to make progress in a specific field.

Economics Group The Economics Group examines the trends of spending in space history from national governments and major commercial operators. It also attempts to cost various space architecture solutions to provide a more realistic appraisal for the cost of space under the assumption of different capabilities.

Strategic & Technological Roadmaps Group The Strategic and Technological Roadmaps Group considers trends in science and technology throughout history, extrapolating those trends to the future so as to build theoretical roadmaps as pathways to the stars. It also considers the influence of emerging disruptive technologies.

The Culture & Philosophy Division

Philosophy Group The Philosophy Group considers the implications of human beings expanding out into space. It also examines different models of Cosmology, including alternative religious beliefs on the place of humans in the Universe. The group seeks to work co-operatively with other organizations so as to facilitate a constructive dialogue between belief systems.

Psychology Group The Psychology Group considers the psychological impacts of space exploration on the individual, communities or on society as a whole. This includes the likely effects of living on a Starship for a long duration space mission. It includes the impact on our conscious of the scientific discoveries that are made.

Education Group The Education Group conducts activities designed to bring about a more scientifically literature public and government. This includes general studies in science, from physics to biology to geology and mathematics, to specific applications of this science to the exploration of space. The group particularly conducts activities to engage the younger generation in order to facilitate an improved educational population.

Public Outreach & Inspiration Group The Public Outreach and Inspiration Group has the task of communicating the bold vision of interstellar flight to the public, through inspirational and motivational means. It organizes activities which facilitate public engagement and excite people about the potential for space exploration, including and especially to the stars.

Ethics & Cultural Studies Group The Ethics and Cultural Studies Group the various ethical viewpoints for how space exploration should be conducted. It also considers the cultural impacts of space exploration, and how it can be used as a harmonising force for good between cultures. It examines the short, medium and long term effects on our society as humans learn more about the Universe and perhaps encounter other life forms.

SETI Group The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Group examines the prospects of intelligent life in the Universe that originates outside of the Earth's biosphere. Its scope includes the search for extraterrestrial signals, including evidence of interstellar technology or industrialisation.

The Engineering & Physics Division

Astrophysics Research Group The Astrophysics Research Group examines planets, stars, the interstellar medium or other objects, particles or fields, within twenty light years of our Sun. It also expands its research interest to include the wider Universe, in order to determine scientific justifications for launching interstellar missions.

Space Technology Group The Space Technology Group considers the invention, design and build of all space technologies useful for an interstellar mission, with the exception of propulsion technologies.

Propulsion Group The Propulsion Group examines propulsion options for an interstellar mission that have a Technology Readiness Level of 2 or above. This may include solar sails, microwave beam sailings, fission, fusion, antimatter or other options.

Space Vehicle Design Concepts Group The Space Vehicle Design Concepts Group focussing on the creation of concept designs for interstellar spacecraft. These are fully integrated systems studies which cover all of the technology associated with the mission.

Frontier Physics Group The Frontier Physics Group examines space technologies, including Breakthrough Propulsion Physics, which have a Technology Readiness Level of 1, defined as conjecture. This includes exotic propulsion schemes such as space drives and warp drives.

Earth Applications & Technology Spin-off Group The Earth Applications and Technology Spin-off Group examines space technology with applications to solving natural and artificially created problems on Earth or in space, wherever human societies or life is found. It specifically seeks to improve the quality of life of people and the human condition.

The Space Mission Development Division

Space Architecture & Mission Analysis Group The Space Architecture and Mission Analysis Group examines architecture options for doing different types of space missions, from interplanetary to interstellar, according to a variety of mission scenarios. It has the task of helping to understand the fundamental requirements for different missions.

Energy Sources Group The Energy Sources Group examines all forms of energy sources for powering space technology, from reactors to engines. It covers chemical, electric, solar, nuclear or other sources yet to be fully characterised such as antimatter and negative energy. Its scope includes design, build, containment, acquisition, application and performance.

Low Earth Orbit & Technology Demonstrations Group The Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Technology Demonstrations Group considers missions and technology associated with reaching near-Earth space and the sorts of missions that are undertaken. This includes the technology for getting there such as the types of rockets. It also looks at the sorts of missions that can be performed using satellite (or other such as CubeSats) technology to validate aspects of interstellar engineering.

Space Tourism Group The Space Tourism Group examines the emerging business market, opportunities, incentives, mission types. It also looks at how this new industry can be used as a catalyst to spurring greater capacity for humans in space.

Planetary Exploration & Deep Space Group The Planetary Exploration and Deep Space Group examines both robotic and human missions beyond the orbit of Earth, to the Moon and planets of our solar system. It considers the sorts of missions that can be done builds reliable studies for missions that can be launched in the coming decades, which have the benefit of furthering human expansion.

Mars Colonization Group The Mars Colonization Group has the specialist remit of examining human colonies on the surface of the planet Mars. This includes the infrastructure requirements, types of missions and on surface science and society. It considers how Mars colonization can be accomplished in the coming decades, working with other advocacy groups which have similar goals.