The title of this reply is what I used in a Google search and that is how I came into this forum. While I know that I will never leave this planet (I am 60 something and semi-retired), I am often thinking about deep space travel. And I have concluded that the best shape for a deep spacecraft is a ball.
And a very large ball at that. Capable of housing, e.g being the home, of thousands of people. On top of outer skin would be solar panels to catch any sun light and just under the outer skin would be water storage tanks (radiantion shield). This deep spacecraft (DSC) would be assembled in space using space elevators to lift materials from the Earth's surface. Perhaps the DSC would be the upend of the space elevator and when released from the elevator the DSC woluld begin it's trip to the distant stars. Once released from it's Earth teather, it would be traveling in excess of 1666 mph and once out of the shadow of the Earth the solar panels would act like solar sails and push the DSC faster and faster until the edge of the Sun's light range. Or perhaps a flight path can be used to travel close to other planets to use a sling shot effect to enhance the DSC speed. However never how fast the DSC will travel, it will take many generations of people living on the DSC until it will even reach the closest Earth like planet (probablly not yet discovered).
Along the way, the DSC will leave small repeater stations that will trasnmit information back to Earth and other human locations and get technology updates as the trip progresses (longer each time for the exchange or continious stream of information).
When? Given that 100 years ago we were just playing with flying aeroplanes and now that technology is doubling every few days(!), it will not be long!
Funding: Did I mention that some astrioids contain gold and diamonds?
Maybe an x-prize for the first DSC that will completly self contain a population of 1,000 and travel a minimum of 1,000 mph?
