3 ms·
> it’d still take 25 to 30 years for them to reach a vantage point .... > mission designers would have to pick carefully because they could observe only a singl
by trimbo 6y ago
> it’d still take 25 to 30 years for them to reach a vantage point
....
> mission designers would have to pick carefully because they could observe only a single target
It will take 30 years to get in position but then we can only look at one target? While it sounds very neat, I'd rather fund something we can use more than once, and sooner.
- freeqaz 6y agoStill valuable as a way to observe a potentially habitable planet in more detail. If we wanted to launch a probe there, it would take a lot more time!
- mrfusion 6y agoWe should build one for each target we want to observe. Starship is going to open so many opportunities.
- augusto-moura 6y agoYou CAN use for more than 1 target, you just need to reposition the telescope a bit. See [1], is a great great video on the subject. I can't recommend enough [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQFqDKRAROI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQFqDKRAROI
- pas 6y agoThe whole concept is that we should launch a fleet of them every few months. Very lightweight semi-autonomous smart lightsails with some optics. The first fleet helps targeting the second, and all those who come after them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQFqDKRAROI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQFqDKRAROI (already linked by a sibling comment, but yes, can't recommend this enough!)