Project "Breakthrough Starshot" - Sending a nanocraft to Alpha Centauri within our lifetime!?

[OnyxKnight]

I was wondering whether to put this in Future Talk or Secret Space Program, as it has implications pertaining to both sub forums, but I guess it's better fitting to be placed here in the Astronomy subforums. If any mod/admin thinks this belongs elsewhere, feel free to move it where you deem fit.

Yuri Milner, joined by Pete Worden (former NASA researcher), Stephen Hawking, Freeman Dyson, Ann Druyan (the woman behind COSMOS), Avi Loeb (Harvard astronomer) & Mae Jemison (astronaut) recently announced the start of a project called Breakthrough Starshot, an attempts to reach the nearest star within out lifetimes.

Milner announced the program on the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's trip to space, noting he was named after him. He chose the location based on the fact that the top of the World Trade Center was "closer to the stars than any other rooftop in America." Milner said that the effort was driven by a single question: "Can we literally reach the stars, and can we do it in our lifetime?"

Milner is backing the $100 million R&D program necessary to get this to work. Existing technology won't do; New Horizons is the fastest spacecraft we've ever launched, and it would take 78,000 years to get to any of the stars in Alpha Centauri, a nearby three-star system. The plutonium in its power systems alone weighs 11kg and would require staggering amounts of energy to accelerate to the necessary speeds.

Instead, Breakthrough Starshot plans to build what's essentially a spacecraft on a chip, which Milner called a nanocraft. A gram-scale wafer will include "cameras, photon thrusters, power supply, navigation and communication equipment." The technology behind the power supply wasn't mentioned; communications at these distances will require something with pretty considerable power, even when using the optical communication that Breakthrough Starshot plans to rely on.

"If this mission comes to fruition," Milner said, "it will tell us as much about ourselves as about Alpha Centauri."

Each of the panelists took some time discussing their views on the project. Freeman Dyson, for his part, emphasized that the space between here and Alpha Centauri isn't empty, and we'll find interesting things on the trip. He hoped that Breakthrough Starshot will lead to a sustainable exploration program, one that wouldn't wind down once its main goal was achieved.

Avi Loeb took up this theme, saying, "Starshot is hoping to image planets in the neighborhood of Alpha Centauri—we may find other things." He noted that we can sacrifice ships to hit closer targets, mentioning that it would take only three days for these craft to reach Pluto, and we could drive one right into Saturn's rings to sample the material there. Worden later agreed that the basic technology could help move things around within the Solar System, possibly including moving heavier hardware at a somewhat slower pace.

The longevity of the journey is deemed to last around 20 years tops. The 100 Year Starship project was also briefly mentioned in relation to this one. Even among followers of MSM, there's an increasing buzz that there may be ulterior motives for this project than what's presented, which came as a pleasant surprise. We don't often see people questioning things on the get go. What do y'all think?

There are 3 ongoing projects in parallel to this, to hunt for planets in Alpha Centauri.



Bold and underline text in the quotes - emphasis mine.

Read the full article here. You can google more about it of course.

[Tyy1907]

I wonder if their hand is being forced here?

"It will tell us as much about ourselves as about Alpha Centauri" Hmmmmm

[Magnus]

That is interesting.

Wouldn't it also be interesting to try turn the stakes around, to somehow let distance collapse into itself?

It seems that distance is a dualistic definition that doesn't apply to the quantum state, fighting physical boundaries using wooden sticks won't cut it. How about utilizing quantum state on a macro scale, is that a plausible idea?

Mass itself are the ever inescapable impediment for most activities in this reality, mass and space travel are each others worst opponents, which invalidates the seriousness of any attempt at exploring other solar systems using conventional means.

Focusing efforts cracking the true nut, would count as progress.

It's funny how we humans, generally, are arrogant enough to expect everything to work the way we want, just because we have decided how it should work, how ever backwards it may be.

Is our most important purpose as humans, really, to further technological achievements, don't we have anything better to do?

[Matt P]

100 million dollar distraction, if you ask me. For a lot less money they could find them here on Earth, if that was really the goal.

Matt

[TargeT]

Posted by mpennery (here)
100 million dollar distraction, if you ask me. For a lot less money they could find them here on Earth, if that was really the goal.

Matt

100million is pocket change to those names.... this is less than if I gave a dollar to a homeless person. Plus the time line on something like this... we wouldn't get results for half a century or more at best.

Total distraction with hardly any effort put forth, pathetic really.

[justntime2learn]

Posted by mpennery (here)
100 million dollar distraction, if you ask me. For a lot less money they could find them here on Earth, if that was really the goal.

Matt

Couldn't have said it better Matt.

I was talking to Cherry Hinkle a couple days ago and she seems to know where at least some are on earth ...

Great post OnyxKnight