3 ms·
Low-cost precursor of an interstellar mission
- Tepix 6y agoThey took the solar sail idea from Project breakthrough and turned it into a sphere to make it irrelevant if it starts spinning. 200 years to get to Alpha Centauri. I hope to be alive when a first generation interstellar probe manages to catch up with Oumuamua, the first mysterious interstellar object detected hurtling across our solar system.
- webmaven 6y agoHmm. On the one hand, you're doubling the mass of the "sail", on the other you are eliminating the mass of any spars or tether lines (not to mention any reels, pulleys and the like). I'm curious as to how well a bubble like this can withstand being pushed on from just one side.
- phreeza 6y agoThe pressure should be extremely low, so I don't think that should be a problem.