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

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by 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.

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.