Posted on 08/29/2026 7:42:49 PM PDT by Az Joe
Professor Edmund Whitmore takes the stage to make an argument most scientists won't say out loud: that we are probably alone in the universe. Not "we haven't found anyone yet." Actually alone. The only technological civilization that exists, or has ever existed, within any distance that matters.
Haha so no electric power to control direction or send any communication back about what the spacecraft is discovering.
Haha so no electric power to control direction or send any communication back about what the spacecraft is discovering.
???
The goal being to reach the next solar system. From your comment, "To reach nearest solar system for us..."
The goal is to get to the next solar system, not report back about what little its discovering between systems, if anything at all. And direction won't change from the last vector from the previous solar system, although battery power can redirect if necessary, likely only needing to do it once, if at all.
This assumes we would only have solar arrays, and not arrays powered by high-energy particles other than photons from the sun.
You need to control direction of the spacecraft every hour and every minute. The propulsion jets need to be tweaked all the time for the spacecraft to go where you want it to go. Keep in mind, because of the vast distance between consecutive solar systems, when the craft just gets out of our solar system, the next solar system is a very narrow target. Without control, the spacecraft will simply be lost in space.
There are no protons during the vast dark space between
the sun’s. Keep in mind we are only 9 light minutes away from the sun so we on earth get stuff discharged by our sun. The next nearest star is 4.25 light YEARS away. You must get your mind focused on the distances.
As for maintaining a vector, there are no forces on a bridging the gap between solar systems, so once aligned, it's a straight line. If you can harness cosmic rays, you can adjust if for some reason you needed to. And you only have to get close enough to catch rays from the next star to navigate through that solar system.
Just listen bub
pffft!
nahhh
As far as right now goes, the most likely scenario is that we are totally alone......as of right now.
Not correct about set the direction and forget it LOL
because a spacecraft can not operate on just 1 thruster.
That would make impossible to change direction. So there are more than 1 thruster. Observe drones. they usually have 4 fans for lift and direction control. Helicopters have 2 fans.
The thrust is never exactly constant because fuel or any other propulsion system never burns at extreme steady state. That is why there is gyroscopic for directional control.
As I explained before, the target 4+ light years away is smaller than a needle point when the spacecraft starts out. No way to set it and forget it. It will need constant direction control for years to come. Even flying to the moon just a few thousand miles away it is not set it and forget it.
As for flying to the moon, there's gravity from two bodies as well as acceleration, deceleration, etc.
Bridging the gap from one solar system to another has no forces other than momentum - no acceleration, no deceleration, and only the gravity of the destination solar system. We can calculate the consistent orbits of 100-year comets and they're exposed to gravity from multiple celestial bodies. Plotting and maintaining a course between two solar systems would be less difficult.
There's also stored power, and the potential to have an array that can harness power from cosmic rays.
You said set the direction and forget it! That is so far from reality of jet propelled space crafts.
Gravity? It is zero 4+ light years away.
You must be reading too many space novels. I worked with real physics throughout my career as mechanical engineer designing highest impact in the world machines (cold extrusion of steel).
I will end this discussion by saying no earth spacecraft can make it to another solar system. I am willing bet money where my mouth is. If it was possible, we would have alien visitors constantly visiting earth because there are many older solar systems than ours, and therefore good chance of being more advanced.
The lack of alien visitors is no proof that crossing between solar systems is impossible. "It's never been done before, therefore it's impossible."
And there is nothing that states that an older solar system is more likely to host life capable of launching spacecraft. We might be not just in the right location but in the right time.
If you are sure a spacecraft from earth can reach the nearest solar system 4.2 light years away, are you willing to bet your money on it ?
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