Current Events > There is an ongoing project to get a probe to another solar system

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakthrough_Starshot?wprov=sfla1

Their goal is to figure out a way to send an unmanned probe to a nearby solar system. 2 targets are Alpha Centauri and Proxima B

Their ideal result would be the trip would only take 20 years. If they suddenly completed this research tomorrow, many people alive today would possibly one day be able to see photos taken from orbit or even on the surface, of an exoplanet, and one that could have earthlike conditions.

We may not be able to get humans there that fast though. It could be many generations before any humans walk on these planets. But imagine if we can live to see photos of an alien world that had an earthlike atmosphere. Even if the probe wasn't capable of landing and we only could see from space, if it was an alien world that looked like earth, that would be insane to look at.

I was watching this video that brought up the project

https://youtu.be/rD_gmEw6ZyI

It woukd take 4 years for any photos taken to get to us though

Oh and I was confused. The system is alpha Centauri. The planet is proxima Centauri B

bump for daytime

Give them 100 billion dollars

In the 20 years the trip will take we will probably discover something faster in the meantime. Like warp drive.

Forest_Temple posted...

In the 20 years the trip will take we will probably discover something faster in the meantime. Like warp drive.

Maybe. That could be an issue with manned ships too. With current tech, a manned Generation Ship would take i think 6,000 years or something. I forget. But in the meantime we might find a way to send a 2nd ship at a faster speed

I wonder what would be the effect on our civilization if we managed to get the probe in orbit and take up close photos of an alien planet that has earthlike conditions but that we couldn't get closer to yet. Like we verify the planet is all green and blue and has an atmosphere but we can't see what lives on it

Forest_Temple posted...

In the 20 years the trip will take we will probably discover something faster in the meantime. Like warp drive.

Just dont break warp 10 or you become a salamander

Or what if the planet has breathable air and nice weather. But there is no animal life? We land and explore the entire planet and the only life is plants. Tons and tons of plant life but no moving animals. Like a perfect empty world waiting for someone to move in

It took an enormous effort to get a probe just past Pluto in the past decade, and there's been a lack of money for any missions to Neptune and Uranus for about 40 years now. We're not anywhere close to the technology to do this or the funding to get close to doing this.

K181 posted...

It took an enormous effort to get a probe just past Pluto in the past decade, and there's been a lack of money for any missions to Neptune and Uranus for about 40 years now. We're not anywhere close to the technology to do this or the funding to get close to doing this.

The technology could get discovered on accident.

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And I think the planet this topic is about is only 4 light years away

That picture makes a huge jump from going to thr sun to leaving the milky way and I am taking about going to our next door star

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Maybe if we taxed churches, we could pay for both

Sounds really ambitious. But with the way technology is improving, I would not be surprised if they can pull it off. Imagine seeing an exo-planet in 4k for the first time.

Zikten posted...

It woukd take 4 years for any photos taken to get to us though

Oh and I was confused. The system is alpha Centauri. The planet is proxima Centauri B

Or, we could just turn the solar system into a giant telescope. In a similar way the JWST is getting pictures of ancient galaxies using gravitational lensing, we can do something similar using the sun. The light bending around the sun increases the detail of far away planets by a factor of 100 billion. It's just a proposal right now, but it could happen in the not too far future.

https://youtu.be/4d0EGIt1SPc

I used to be pumped about this kind of stuff but man, anything that ends with humanity moving off of earth is just going to be awful for wherever we end up. Like look at what we've done to all the flora and fauna of this planet.

Let's do it. I believe success will give us a more grounded notion of the world.

The more we are in touch with reality the more useful our thinking will be.

Well I tell people that if there are anything living all those light years away they probably don't or might not even see us yet.

Hell they are probably thinking like we do.

Imagine the probe zooms in on the planet and the first image we capture are 2 alien beings with tentacles engaging in some kind of depraved sexual congress

This would mean that the probe would accelerate to 20% the speed of light (or more, considering it's got to speed up when leaving Earth... and slow down as it gets to the Alpha Centauri system).