Warp 2, Mr. Chekov!....................
We will never get to the stars with this method. I have absolutely zero trust in any government keeping up with a sustained multi decade effort supporting people who can’t vote because they’re billions of miles away.
I suppose going to Proxima Centauri makes more sense than going to war with France over Greenland…
All they need is money. Better clean-up around the home planet before adventuring off somewhere that probably won’t support life.
Like just about all red dwarf stars, Proxima Centauri frequently erupts with large flares that would incinerate any potentially life-bearing planets. So it’s lifeless.
Hasn’t AI solved this problem yet?
The problem with ‘Physicist’ is that their heads are full of protons, neutrons and electrons... What they aren’t full of is any common sense.
Crazy Eddie!!!
Sorry,won’t work.
That’s how the Moties get out of their system in the Mote in God’s Eye...interesting...
I have to break out my modern physics text books to try to figure out exactly what they mean here but it’s worth noting that per the article the probe would be nano scale, not something that could carry people or cargo. Smaller than a spec of dust. But if they prove the concept works, development will be swift. That’s always the case (unless government gets in the way and regulate it into the grave as in the case of nuclear power)
“However, the usefulness of this approach depends on the discovery of a high-specific-power means of reception and conversion of that energy…”
I have the answer! Use unobtainium. Simple.
A relativistic electron beam would probably be a really effective weapon. I wouldn’t want such things placed in space by anyone.
I prefer sharks with lasers
Ok, that may work for sending a spacecraft - but how do we get it back?
What happens to humans inside it?
How do we communicate with the craft when it’s light-years away? Just wait light-years for a reply?
Duh.......
It seems they could test this technology by sending a small probe to the moon or Mars. They have to figure out stopping, landing and/or returning and countless other issues.
Does the space probe accelerate to the halfway point and then start braking the next half?
Good thinking...
A worthwhile research and development effort...
OTOH, in addition, maybe that group that claimed to identify the the “shape” of a photon could design the engine-beam photons into arrowheads so that beam spreading would be resolved...
Super-Fast Space Travel Would Kill You in Minutes
Speed kills. Literally.