The map from here to there.

Carry people to another star and have them arrive alive · 6

Leave the solar system with a crew and reach a world around another star, with the people on board alive, healthy and still free to choose. Most of the journey is time: the ship must be a home for longer than a working life, not a vehicle.

• Create habitats that maintain themselves and their inhabitants

  capability · mid · engineering wall

  Habitats for interstellar journeys need to be self-sustaining environments. This involves automated maintenance and repair facilities that can operate without human intervention.

  First step: Develop a prototype of an automated repair system for habitat infrastructures.

  Cheapest test: Model potential failure scenarios and automated responses in a closed environment.

• Develop culture and practices for multi-generational space travel

  capability · mid · coordination wall

  Space inhabitants will require social structures and cultural norms to thrive across generations. Fostering a robust cultural framework supports social stability.

  First step: Organize workshops to envision multi-generational living in space.

  Cheapest test: Model potential cultural shifts over generations in isolated groups.

• Develop safe navigation strategies for interstellar travel

  capability · mid · engineering wall

  Navigation systems must ensure the safe passage across interstellar space, avoiding hazards and steering towards the destination efficiently.

  First step: Create algorithms that map plausible interstellar paths.

  Cheapest test: Simulate navigation through theoretical interstellar routes.

• Keep a crew alive for decades with no resupply

  capability · mid · engineering wall

  Developing life support systems that function independently for multiple decades is crucial for interstellar travel. These systems must provide all necessary life support needs without outside assistance.

  First step: Research existing long-duration life support systems and identify gaps.

  Cheapest test: Simulate long-term closed-loop life support systems.

• Travel at a fraction of light speed with humans on board

  capability · far · physics wall

  Achieving speeds that significantly cut down travel time to another star is essential. The technology must ensure human safety despite the extreme speeds.

  First step: Review current propulsion technologies for potential breakthroughs.

  Cheapest test: Simulate engineered hypothetical propulsion systems for viability.

• Understand and support long-term crew mental and physical wellbeing

  capability · mid · unknown wall

  Sustaining crew mental and physical health is critical during an extended voyage. Understanding stressors and developing interventions are keys to mission success.

  First step: Study psychological and physiological effects of isolation and confinement.

  Cheapest test: Use virtual reality simulations to study long-term confinement effects.

Build in space at a scale that gathers a star's light · 6

Assemble structures around a star large enough to catch a meaningful share of its light and turn it into power and living room. Nobody lifts such a thing from a planet; it must be made from what is already in space, by machines that make more machines.

• Automate construction of large structures in space

  capability · mid · engineering wall

  Create systems that autonomously assemble large structures in space from raw materials. This capability reduces reliance on human labor, maximizing efficiency and safety.

  First step: Design algorithms that guide autonomous construction processes.

  Cheapest test: Run simulations of autonomous construction in a virtual space environment.

• Efficiently convert and store solar energy

  capability · mid · engineering wall

  Develop technologies that enable the efficient conversion and storage of solar energy on a large scale. This energy is essential to power the construction and operation of megastructures.

  First step: Design a prototype system for efficient solar energy conversion.

  Cheapest test: Simulate energy conversion and storage processes in a controlled setup.

• Harvest resources from space with robots

  capability · mid · engineering wall

  Develop the ability to extract and process raw materials from asteroids or other celestial bodies using robotic technologies. These materials are required to build structures on a massive scale within space.

  First step: Develop a prototype robot for resource extraction in a simulated environment.

  Cheapest test: Simulate resource extraction and processing from an asteroid in a virtual model.

• Maintain self-replicating robotic systems

  capability · far · engineering wall

  Develop robots capable of self-repair, replication, and maintaining other systems. Such systems are crucial for long-term space construction projects where human intervention is minimal.

  First step: Create a basic robotic system that can autonomously perform maintenance tasks.

  Cheapest test: Model self-repairing and replicating processes in robotic systems within a testing environment.

• Sustain habitats around stars

  capability · far · engineering wall

  Ensure that habitats constructed around stars can support human life over long periods. This involves life support systems, radiation shielding, and other essential infrastructure.

  First step: Study radiation shielding technologies to protect space habitats.

  Cheapest test: Model ecosystems and life support systems in a simulated star orbit environment.

• Understand material behavior in space

  open question · unknown · unknown wall

  Study how different materials behave in the harsh conditions of space. Insights are crucial for selecting the right materials for building and maintaining space structures.

  First step: Conduct experiments to observe material degradation in space-like conditions.

  Cheapest test: Perform laboratory tests replicating space environmental conditions on sample materials.

Carry a person's mind into a body they were not born in · 7

Let a person continue — memories, character, the sense of being themselves — in an advanced robot body, and be recognised by the people who know them as the same person. Whether this is possible is still an open question, and the map says so.

• Cultural acceptance of consciousness transfer

  capability · far · coordination wall

  Achieve societal acceptance of transferring consciousness into robotic bodies. Without widespread acceptance, the technology will face significant roadblocks despite technical feasibility.

  First step: Conduct surveys and interviews to understand public perception and concerns.

  Cheapest test: Analyze historical precedents of technology acceptance in society.

• Emulate human cognition digitally

  capability · mid · engineering wall

  Create a system that can emulate human thought processes, memory, and consciousness digitally. This involves mimicking the complexity of human cognition in a computational format.

  First step: Review current digital emulation techniques and identify gaps.

  Cheapest test: Simulate a simple cognitive task on a neural network model.

• Ensure identity continuity

  capability · far · engineering wall

  Ensure that the transferred consciousness retains the individual's identity, including memories, personality, and self-recognition. This capability is key for the destination to be meaningful.

  First step: Study psychological and philosophical theories about personal identity.

  Cheapest test: Develop a virtual environment to test identity perception after simulated transfer.

• Interface brains with machines

  capability · mid · engineering wall

  Develop technologies that allow seamless communication between human brains and machines. This interface is crucial for transferring human consciousness into a robotic form.

  First step: Review current brain-machine interfaces and assess their scalability.

  Cheapest test: Experiment with non-invasive brain-computer interfaces in a controlled setting.

• Map a human brain precisely

  capability · near · engineering wall

  Develop the ability to map the neural connections and structures of the human brain in detail. This precise mapping is crucial for understanding how memories and identity are encoded.

  First step: Conduct a detailed literature review of current brain mapping technologies.

  Cheapest test: Simulate the process of mapping a small neural network to test accuracy.

• Synthesize human-like robotic bodies

  capability · mid · engineering wall

  Build robotic bodies that can host human cognitive functions and allow interaction with the environment as a human would. This requires advanced sensors and actuators that replicate human abilities.

  First step: Compile existing research on robotic bodies and identify the gaps in human-like interaction.

  Cheapest test: Design a prototype limb to test its interaction capabilities.

• Understand consciousness

  open question · unknown · unknown wall

  Investigate the nature of consciousness and how it emerges from neural structures. Understanding what consciousness is and how it can be recreated in another medium is fundamental.

  First step: Propose a research framework for studying consciousness scientifically.

  Cheapest test: Run a series of experiments testing hypotheses about consciousness emergence.

Compute with quantum states at a scale that answers what classical machines cannot · 6

Run computations that use quantum states as the working material, reliably enough and long enough to answer questions in chemistry, materials and optimisation that no classical machine can. The other three destinations lean on this one for their hardest design problems.

• Achieve precise control of quantum states

  capability · near · engineering wall

  Quantum computations require finely controlled quantum states. Precision in manipulation is vital for reliable computation.

  First step: Research methods to reduce noise in quantum state preparation and manipulation.

  Cheapest test: Design experiments to measure control precision of specific quantum operations.

• Develop algorithms tailored for quantum systems

  capability · near · engineering wall

  Algorithms specifically designed for quantum systems can solve problems classical computers cannot. Development of such algorithms is crucial for quantum advantage.

  First step: Compile a library of quantum algorithms targeting different problem classes.

  Cheapest test: Run simulations to compare quantum algorithms against classical ones.

• Establish quantum communication networks

  capability · mid · engineering wall

  Quantum communication networks allow for the transfer and synchronization of quantum information. This is vital for distributed quantum computing.

  First step: Design network protocols for quantum information transfer.

  Cheapest test: Simulate a small-scale quantum communication network.

• Extend quantum coherence times for computations

  capability · mid · engineering wall

  Quantum coherence is essential for computations. Enhancing coherence times allows for longer and more complex calculations without error.

  First step: Develop algorithms to optimize quantum error correction.

  Cheapest test: Simulate improved error correction techniques under various noise models.

• Fabricate scalable qubit systems

  capability · mid · engineering wall

  Scalability of qubit systems is needed to perform quantum computations at a meaningful scale. Advances in fabrication techniques are required to build larger systems.

  First step: Explore new materials and methods for qubit integration.

  Cheapest test: Prototype a multi-qubit system to test integration techniques.

• Implement reliable quantum error correction

  capability · near · engineering wall

  Without error correction, quantum computations degrade quickly. Reliable error correction is critical for practical applications.

  First step: Study existing error correction codes and adapt for specific quantum systems.

  Cheapest test: Simulate error correction protocol performance on a small quantum simulator.

Not yet on a path to a destination · 1

• Discover materials for better quantum computers

  capability · mid · unknown wall

  New materials can greatly improve quantum computer performance. Discovering materials with optimal properties is a challenge that holds high rewards.

  First step: Use existing quantum simulations to predict new materials.

  Cheapest test: Experiment with promising materials predicted by simulations.