New Project Plans To Send A Spacecraft To Alpha Centauri In 20 Years

[mapuc]

http://www.iflscience.com/space/stephen-hawking-reveals-plan-send-spacecraft-alpha-centauri-20-years

A new project has been announced that will attempt to launch a small spacecraft to our nearest stellar neighbor, Alpha Centauri, and return images and data to Earth within a generation

This is what we need, some pioneers that takes the first step to show other that it is or can be possible

Markus

[Oberon]

The popular stereotype of the researcher is that of a skeptic and a pessimist. Nothing could be further from the truth! Scientists must be optimists at heart, in order to block out the incessant chorus of those who say "It cannot be done."


https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/14/oct/acheader.jpg

[Reece]

This wont effect me in any way!:yep:

[AndyJWest]

I've been playing too much Elite: Dangerous - my first thought was 'Alpha Centauri? That won't take long...' :o

[Sailor Steve]

This wont effect me in any way!:yep:
Probably won't affect me either, but if I am around when they launch it I'll spend ever single one of my remaining days asking "Are we there yet?"

[Torplexed]

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/14/oct/acheader.jpg

Can't believe I still have that game in the closet along with the tech charts and strategy manual. I wonder if I could get it to run on Win 7?

[Oberon]

When (ha) we finally move, and I find out which box I put my copy in, I'll try and let you know. :03::yep:

[Dowly]

Can't believe I still have that game in the closet along with the tech charts and strategy manual. I wonder if I could get it to run on Win 7?
You can buy it for $5,99 from GoG.com, their version should work fine on newer systems.
https://www.gog.com/game/sid_meiers_alpha_centauri

[Eichhörnchen]

I've been playing too much Elite: Dangerous - my first thought was 'Alpha Centauri? That won't take long...' :o

They said it'll only be a very small spaceship, so who's going to steer it?


http://i.imgur.com/x0Eh64F.jpg "Start the car..."

[Diopos]

They said it'll only be a very small spaceship, so who's going to steer it?
...

:hmmm: ... Hope???

.

[Betonov]

They said it'll only be a very small spaceship, so who's going to steer it?


Newton

[Commander Wallace]

They said it'll only be a very small spaceship, so who's going to steer it?


http://i.imgur.com/x0Eh64F.jpg "Start the car..."


The Robinson family or robot on the new, Jupiter 2. :yep:

[Jimbuna]

To infinity and beyond.

[Rockin Robbins]

I think a simple calculation will show that if you could get the craft to Alpha Centauri you would never be able to learn that it arrived. You'll never generate the power for a receivable signal from a small circuit board. If you could generate 1 watt that would be amazing. However our most dense storage devices, Lithium based batteries are good for 3 years before they quickly degrade to uselessness. If you build a craft so small you would only have enough space for about a 300mAh battery. At a 10C discharge, that's 3 amps for 6 minutes then kaput. And that's if it would retain 100% of its capacity, which it wouldn't.

I may be optimistic. The camera might take up the space that I figured for the battery. I bet this thing would have a 30% chance of detection from the moon.

[Onkel Neal]

When (ha) we finally move, and I find out which box I put my copy in, I'll try and let you know. :03::yep:

You still in your old house?

That's about the only good thing about moving, you find a lot of stuff you forgot you ever had...

[Oberon]

You still in your old house?

That's about the only good thing about moving, you find a lot of stuff you forgot you ever had...

For the moment, latest ETD is sometime at the end of this month/beginning of next month. :yep:

[mapuc]

I think a simple calculation will show that if you could get the craft to Alpha Centauri you would never be able to learn that it arrived. You'll never generate the power for a receivable signal from a small circuit board. If you could generate 1 watt that would be amazing. However our most dense storage devices, Lithium based batteries are good for 3 years before they quickly degrade to uselessness. If you build a craft so small you would only have enough space for about a 300mAh battery. At a 10C discharge, that's 3 amps for 6 minutes then kaput. And that's if it would retain 100% of its capacity, which it wouldn't.

I may be optimistic. The camera might take up the space that I figured for the battery. I bet this thing would have a 30% chance of detection from the moon.

I guess most of you know the story behind the struggle NASA had to send the first man to the Moon and the bonus they got from the development.

I could very well see some new "bonus" in future space travel and in our daily life-such as new kind of battery, cameras a.s.o

Markus

[Buddahaid]

David Brin's 2012 book Existance uses these laser propelled solar sails in an interesting slant. Not only do they get a big push from the laser on the way out, but they use the sail as a brake when approaching a star system.

The power available to transmit images could be supplied by the sail if it also worked as a collector and twenty years in electronics development will bring some amazing changes.

I'm OK with it and I'm happy they're choosing a spacecraft. Watercraft just don't cut it. :88)