Posted on 08/25/2016 8:57:03 AM PDT by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at technofres.com ...
Yeah but...there’s “only” a one in a thousand chance of that, they say.
That’s what I meant. I would be younger than I otherwise would be.
Thanks for posting. 1000 to 1 odds does not sound that good. They will need something to detect, deflect and/or or destroy the matter. Perhaps one or more unmanned shield vehicles in front of the craft that absorb the crap and provide a wake the manned craft can ride behind. As one blows up you still have more shields remaining.
When I’m transported to Heaven at light speed+, I’ll let you know how it felt. :)
You are only as old as you felt, ok, maybe
a little more.
Anyway, the 20% isn’t dangerous, 21% is.
The universe only seems empty, the faster you go
the more solid it gets.
Well since we have never been to interstellar space we really do not know the mass density of interstellar space. It is thought to be quite empty however the occasional gran of sand does exist. 1,000 to 1 are pretty good odds if they are correct. Let’s hope they are.
Just leave your physical body behind and it is not hard at all.
Ahh, now we know. Those are NOT stars in the sky, it’s only various size dust spots hitting our atmosphere.
Oh, man, that is so relative.
Heavy man.
There's your reason right there. Matter cannot travel at SOL.
It depends. If you have a beer in one hand and a cell phone in the other, it might be more dangerous.
We already have the propulsion technology to go 10% of the speed of light by using nukes to propel the vehicle.
What's an 'event' horizon then?
Besides, it's all relative - right? :)
Ever wonder why electrons in an electric circuit do not have infinite mass since they apparently travel at the speed of light?
Does it have a hemi?
Hey, at 70K plus mph, I’d want the best and brightest coders working on the collision avoidance systems.
Yur gonna need a pretty impressive shield too.. a force field would be nice. :-)
Traveling twice the speed of sound it’s easy to get burned.
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