Just how dangerous is it to travel at 20 percent the speed of light?

technofres.com ^ | 08/24/2016 | Victor Sopsan

[BenLurkin]

Breakthrough Starshot is one of the more exciting scientific ideas that has popped up in the past decade, with its promise to deliver hardware to the nearest star in time for many people currently alive to see it.

While the idea would work on paper as an extrapolation of existing technology, there are a lot of details that need to be thoroughly checked out, because it’s possible that one of them could present a show-stopper.

There’s a bit of good news there: Breakthrough Starshot is apparently funding the needed research to give its concept a thorough vetting. A recent posting to the arXiv describes a careful look at the odds of a spacecraft surviving an extended journey at the speeds planned for the trip.

Overall, things look good, but a bit of shielding will be needed, and there’s the potential for a catastrophic collision with a speck of dust. The work, done by a team of four astronomers, focuses on one of the most basic issues: spacecraft survival.

The goal of Breakthrough Starshot is to accelerate its craft to about 20 percent the speed of light. At that speed, even individual atoms can damage the vehicle, and a collision with a bit of dust could be catastrophic. So the team set out to quantify just how risky these collisions could be.

The space between here and the nearest star isn’t completely empty. Earlier generations of stars have left a sparse collection of tiny dust particles, and various processes have left individual atoms scattered through the interstellar space. These particles pose very distinct risks, and the team worked through each separately.

[Fido969]

It’s not the speed - it’s the sudden stop that gets you.

[BenLurkin]

a sufficiently large dust particle will create a collision energetic enough to destroy a craft. And “sufficiently large” isn’t very big; the authors estimate that it only has to be 15 micrometers across to kill off the craft. Fortunately, dust particles this size are rare, and the authors calculate the odds of running into one at 1050 to one against.

"Goldberg would love to do it!"

[Jim W N]

Dunno. I think you come out younger.

[rdl6989]

I wouldn’t want to hit some space junk at that speed.

[dfwgator]

[MUDDOG]

They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

If you’re a photon...not dangerous at all.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Dunno. I think you come out younger.

Well...no. Everyone not travelling at that speed ages normally. You would age slower. Not in reverse.

[relictele]

[lurk]

Why don’t they ask capt kirk how they did it?

[dsrtsage]

If there is a single object in the universe traveling at 20% of the speed of light, then we are already traveling at 20% of the speed of light

[dp0622]

lol

[Phlap]

Given we are no where near achieving that velocity, its not dangerous at all.

[BenLurkin]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakthrough_Starshot

[amorphous]

Thanks for posting, it's in our genes to continue to push the speed record, and explore. I think both go hand in hand.

Micro particles could possibly be dealt with using some arrangement of electrostatic fields, the larger grains with lasers, and the even larger objects by avoidance.

In pursuit of speed and journey, we often find solutions to problems along the way.

And while we may not be able to exceed the speed of light, I personally have found no reason we can't out run it.

[jpsb]

A grain of sand carries a lot of (kinetic) energy at .2C hitting one would be like setting off an A bomb. This space ship better hope it does not encounter anything more massive then a heavy molecule on its' trip to the stars.

[EQAndyBuzz]

There needs to be a way to create a protective layer around the craft using energy.

Shields up!

[Mr. Douglas]

Exactly!

Still, my brain hurts.

[jpsb]

If there is a single object in the universe traveling at 20% of the speed of light, then we are already traveling at 20% of the speed of light

Hmmmm, I am going to have to think about that, but I would be surprised if matter falling into a black hole was not traveling at speeds approaching light.