Abstract
The action is set in the year 2328, in the system of the double star BD–05 1844 (or Gliese 250) at 28.4 light years (9.2 parsecs) from the Sun. The primary star, BD-05 1844 A is an orange-red dwarf star (K3V), with a mass about 80 % of the mass of the Sun but a luminosity of only 14.6 %. BD-05 1844 B is a red dwarf, (M2.5V), with 50 % the mass of the Sun and only 0.58 % of its luminosity. Their separation is about 500 astronomical units.
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Notes
- 1.
It lies in the east central part (6:52:18.1-5:10:25.4 for Star A and 6:52:18-5:11.4 for Star B, ICRS 2000.0) of the constellation Monoceros.
- 2.
Actually Drexler used the term clanking replicators, to distinguish them from self-replicating machines at the micro- or nano-scale, which he called replicators.
- 3.
The term slow interstellar travel usually indicates interstellar travel at a speed lower than 1 % of the speed of light (v = 0.01 c).
- 4.
The first time replicators were mentioned, by Butler in 1840, they were associated with evolution and were thought to be an application of Darwin’s ideas to machines.
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Genta, G. (2014). Humankind on the Verge of Becoming a Spacefaring Civilization. In: The Hunter. Science and Fiction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02060-0_2
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