Space ships of the future: projects, problems, prospects

Mankind has been mastering outer space by manned spacecraft for more than half a century. Alas, during this time, it is, figuratively speaking, not far away. If we compare the Universe with the ocean, we just wander at the edge of the surf on the ankle in the water. Once, however, decided to swim a little deeper (the lunar program "Apollo"), and since then we live in memories of this event as a supreme achievement.
Until now, space ships have mainly served as a transport vehicle for orbiting stations and back to Earth. Maximum duration of autonomous flight, achievable by the shuttle Shuttle Shuttle, is only 30 days, and even then theoretically. But, perhaps, the spacecraft of the future will become much more perfect and more universal?

The lunar expeditions of the "Apollo" have clearly shown that the requirements for the forthcoming space flights can be strikingly different from those for "space taxis". The moon cabin of Apollo had very little in common with streamlined ships and was not designed to fly in a planetary atmosphere. Some idea of how the space ships of the future will look, photos of American astronauts are given more than visually.

The most serious factor that holds back the episodic study by a man of the solar system, not to mention the organization of scientific bases on planets and their satellites, is radiation. Problems arise even with lunar missions lasting for a week. A year and a half flight to Mars, which seemed to be about to take place, moved further and further. Studies by automatons have shown a radiation level, which is mortally dangerous for a person , on the whole route of interplanetary flight. So the future spacecraft will inevitably acquire serious anti-radiation protection combined with special medical and biological measures for the crew.

It is clear that the faster he gets to his destination, the better. But for a fast flight you need powerful engines. And for them, in turn, high-performance fuel, which would not take up much space. Therefore, chemical marching engines will in the near future give way to nuclear ones. If scientists manage to tame the antimatter, i.e., transferring the mass to light, future space vehicles will find photon engines. In this case, we are already talking about the attainment of relativistic velocities and interstellar expeditions.

Another major obstacle to the development of the human universe will be the long-term provision of its vital activity. In just a day, the human body consumes a lot of oxygen, water and food, releases solid and liquid waste, exhales carbon dioxide. Taking a full supply of oxygen and food on board is pointless because of their enormous weight. The problem is solved by the onboard closed life support system. However, until now, all the experiments on this topic have not been crowned with success. And without a closed SZO, space ships of the future flying through space are unthinkable for years; The pictures of artists, of course, amaze the imagination, but do not reflect the real state of affairs.

So, all the projects of space ships and starships are still far from real embodiment. And mankind will have to reconcile with the study of the universe by astronauts under the cover of the Earth's magnetic field and receiving information from automatic probes. But this, of course, is temporary. Astronautics does not stand still, and indirect signs show that in this field of human activity a great breakthrough is maturing. So, perhaps, the future spacecraft will be built and will make the first flights in the XXI century.