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Keyword: relativisticpinch

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  • We Could Send A Spacecraft To Our Closest Stars With Electron Beams, Physicists Suggest

    01/08/2025 6:41:26 AM PST · by Red Badger · 73 replies
    IFL Science ^ | January 08, 2025 | James Felton
    Using this method, the probe could potentially reach the star system in decades. Proxima centauri, captured by Hubble. Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA A team of physicists has outlined a possible way of sending probes deep into interstellar space within a reasonable timescale, using relativistic electron beams. Space is that annoying combination of "really cool" and "really big". We can see really awesome stuff going on out there, but unless we come up with ways to significantly improve our propulsion methods, we aren't going to be taking a look at them any time soon. Traveling at the speed of Voyager,...