Staircase Program
The purpose of this program is to send recently deceased people to deep space.
This program is inspired from the staircase program in the 3 body problem series by Liu Cixin.
Target velocities
Let us assume the destination of the payload (the body placed in a coffin) is the Alpha Centuri, the closest star system. The three escape velocities are:
| Escape Velocity | Equation | Approximate Value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earth | $$v_e = \sqrt{\frac{2GM_E}{R_E}}$$ | 11.2 km/s | Velocity needed to escape Earth's gravitational field |
| Solar System | $$v_{ss} = \sqrt{v_o^2 + v_e^2}$$ | 42.1 km/s | Velocity needed to escape the Solar System from Earth's orbit |
| Galactic | $$v_g = \sqrt{\frac{2GM_g}{r}}$$ | 550-650 km/s | Velocity needed to escape the Milky Way galaxy |
Where:
- $G$ is the gravitational constant
- $M_E$ is the mass of Earth
- $R_E$ is the radius of Earth
- $v_o$ is Earth's orbital velocity around the Sun (about 29.8 km/s)
- $M_g$ is the mass of the Milky Way galaxy
- $r$ is the distance from the galactic center
Payload
The payload is a space coffin containing and the body of the person and some personal belongings. A rough estimation of mass of the payload is 250 kg (150 kg body + objects, 100 kg the coffin).
Trajectory
Given the current state propulsion, the best solution to escape the solar system gravity is to use gravitational slingshot (just like Voyager 1).
The take-off should occur on Earth, because there is no launch base on the Moon.
Acceleration constrains
The acceleration during take-off must be limited to preserve the integrity of the body. The typical acceleration of a habitable mission is 3 to 5 g.
Journey monitoring
The relatives of the customer must be provided a online monitoring of the coffin. It's approximate location, it's relative speed, and during the early stage of the journey, a live stream of the flight provided by Starlink.