O.k. - here's the idea: An External Pulsed Plasma Propulsion engine is constructed in space. It's sole purpose is to get to Alpha Centauri as quickly as possible. It's sole payload is a device for taking images in all spectra of light (from radio, through visible, infrared, ultraviolet, etc.). Just send it there, and get some awesome data back.
I think present technology would allow us to build such a craft. I think I heard that such a craft could make it to Alpha Centauri in about 100 years. However, even in 20 years or so, we'd be able to get some tremendously groundbreaking images en route.
Should we build such a craft? Could we get it to go faster, so maybe it could make it to Alpha Centauri in 25 years?
2007-09-27 08:48:25 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
I think that would be a great idea.
1. Observe our system on the way out.
2. Observe the Alpha Centauri system. Is it really trinary? How could that not result in fascinating pictures?
3. Observe the universe from a different spot. Perhaps from a different point of view (parallax) we'll learn a lot more about the size, shape, distance, and speed of of objects in the universe.
4. I disagree with the poster who said it would have to slow down. I don't see why we couldn't just let it cruise on through the system at full speed.
5. If a better technology comes out in the future, we could sent that to a different system for even more fun.
2007-09-28 05:07:53 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
One ingredient this is lacking in each and all the solutions (otherwise they are ok) is the Earth orientation. In its rotation the receiving antenna on earth (say Arecibo. Puertorico) could be grew to become to Alpha Centauri equipment (seen from there for the duration of that factor). Else while the burst of communications go away that equipment (Alpha Centauri) and arrive right here the receiving antenna shouldn't draw back. yet there is not any way one does understand while the 'burst' leaves there. different option could be that the size of the burst could final an afternoon. Or receivers around the globe could song the Alpha Centauri equipment.
2016-10-05 11:13:23 · answer #2 · answered by dutel 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Should we build such a craft? Could we get it to go faster, so maybe it could make it to Alpha Centauri in 25 years?
We should not. There are plenty of other expeditions we can spend the money on. Today's technology severely limits space travel.
2007-09-27 08:59:47 · answer #3 · answered by petep73 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
100 years. It would have to travel at 1/25th light speed. That is about 12,000 kms per second. What is this technology you speak of? Did you make it up.
Also, after 20 years, and nearly 1 light year out (at that speed), what the heck would you see? The sun would just be another star, and its planets would be totally inivisible. You might be in the Oort cloud of comets, but "cloud" is a bit of a misnomer. The comets are still far enough apart and totally inactive lumps of black ice at that distance to rendert them totally invisible.
There would be nothing to see.
Also, Alpha Centauri is not a good candidate, if you are looking for life. It is a triple star system, and any planets would have really complex and life-threatening orbits.
So, you could spend a trillion dollars on this thing, and get very little out of it. Who is going to fund that?
2007-09-27 09:00:34 · answer #4 · answered by nick s 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
What is the cost? Hardly anybody will want to pay hundreds of billions of dollars to do it and that is what I think it would cost to build the first ever working External Pulsed Plasma powered space craft. And when was the last time any machine anybody made lasted 100 years without requiring any repair? The chances of it still being in working order when it got there are almost zero in my opinion.
So, no, I don't favor it. Not now anyway.
2007-09-27 09:03:27 · answer #5 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Present technology doesn't allow it. We should wait until it does and actually go with it to a star with an earthlike planet, because by the time it's designed, we may well be able to construct spacecraft from hollowed-out asteroids and use them as starships.
I think it would be mind-blowing to look on the face of another star, but we can know all we want to about Alpha Cent from where we are.
2007-09-30 21:21:30 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In several of my answers to questions like this, I have mentioned my splendid espresso machine. It is well made. I care for it religiously, cleaning it immediately after every use. I only use it twice a day. It lasted about 7 hears. Spacecraft would consist of thousands of parts. Self repairing machines are a fantasy. Redundancy will only get you so far, things will fall apart and they will stay broke.
And what groundbreaking photos are you going to get of space?
So you want to send a probe to a distant world on a ship which costs billions to send, which will certainly breakdown nearly every system, and we get to wait hundreds of years for the learning what we already knew to begin with: the thing failed along the way
Great idea einstein.
2007-09-27 09:40:20 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Heres another idea, why dont we build a super sized telescope in space, we send it three quarters of the way to alpha centauri,then maybe we can see whats there without actually going all the way.
2007-09-28 17:03:50 · answer #8 · answered by Zaneli 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
we dont even have the technology to get to Alpha Centauri in a thousand years. its 4.3 light years away. it would take us 75,000 years to get there. voyagers will leave our solar system by 2020, and have no power left by then. thats just our solar system, imagine the time to get to another one. you think we can cut our time by 75000%, your crazy. and even if we did we couldn't control it, because it would take 4.3 years for the craft to receive the signal and do the command.
25 years? thats 1/6 light speed. do you have any idea how hard it would be to make a ship go that fast. it would need to be powered by nuclear fusion or anti-matter, and we dont have the technology to do that. even if we did it still wouldn't be fast enough.
id say by 2500 we'll be well on or way to sending a probe that will take a few hundred years to get there.
2007-09-27 10:06:00 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Even we we could get there in 100 years, what's the point?
I'm reminded of a story told by Isaac Asimov. Imagine two stone-age tribes, one on each coast of North America, who wanted to communicate with each other. They might consider setting up relays of smoke signals, or consider how loud signal drums would need to be. They might even try to send a messenger to carry a message. They would likely conclude that it was theoretically possible, but impractical with their technology.
They would not conceive of radio, telephones or jet aircraft.
*That's* the situation we're in.
2007-09-27 12:43:43 · answer #10 · answered by laurahal42 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋