Hawking's interstellar mission to find alien life

[Her]

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11621564

An astonishing space mission to visit our nearest star system and find out if alien life exists has been launched by Professor Stephen Hawking.

Despite being visible in the night sky without a telescope, Alpha Centauri is 40 trillion km away (4.3 light years) and would take around 30,000 years to reach with current technology.

However Hawking has joined forces with Russian billionaire Yuri Milner to develop technology which would allow a spacecraft to reach the star system in just 20 years.

Once there, a probe would sweep past the planets hunting for signs of advanced alien civilisations.

Earth-like planets have already been detected around the three stars of Alpha Centauri and scientists are hopeful that some may by located in the 'Goldilocks Zone' - an area where it is neither too hot, nor cold, for life to thrive.

Launching the initial US$100 million phase of the 'Starshot' mission at the One World Observatory in New York City, Hawking said: "There are no greater heights to aspire to than the stars.

"What makes human beings unique? There are many theories. Some say it is language or tools, others say it is logical reasoning. They obviously haven't met many humans.

"I believe what makes us unique is transcending our limits. Gravity pins us to the ground, but I just flew to America. I lost my voice but I can still speak. How do we transcend these limits? With our minds and our machines.

"The limit that confronts us now is the great void between us and the stars but now we can transcend it, with light beams and light sails and the lightest spacecraft ever built we can launch a mission to Alpha Centauri within a generation."

More in the link.

If alien life has a hope of being confirmed by the time I'm in my early forties, then that'll be absolutely wonderful. No bloody idea how it all works but it looks sweet!

 

[gimmepie]

This is pretty amazing. The fact that we might have developed this technology by the time I'm in my forties and that we might have reached another star system by my sixties is insane. I cannot believe we may achieve this in my lifetime.

If Hawking wasn't going to be remembered as a legend before, he sure as hell will be now.

 

[Midnight shadow]

I'm confused. It says in the article that they will essentially push the craft along using a giant laser beam, but is that one push enough to get it to the next solar system? Also, once it's there (assuming it arrives intact), how is it going to get back to us? Surely our communications cannot reach far enough to stay in contact with us, so what happens in 20 years time when it reaches Alpha Centauri?

 

[gimmepie]

I'm confused. It says in the article that they will essentially push the craft along using a giant laser beam, but is that one push enough to get it to the next solar system? Also, once it's there (assuming it arrives intact), how is it going to get back to us? Surely our communications cannot reach far enough to stay in contact with us, so what happens in 20 years time when it reaches Alpha Centauri?

In theory it will only need one push. Once it hits space it will continue to move at the same speed basically eternally because there will no longer be any matter/force resisting it.

I'm not so sure on the communication aspect, but if Hawking thinks it'll work I'm willing to bet it's possible.

 

[Midnight shadow]

In theory it will only need one push. Once it hits space it will continue to move at the same speed basically eternally because there will no longer be any matter/force resisting it.

I'm not so sure on the communication aspect, but if Hawking thinks it'll work I'm willing to bet it's possible.

It will, as long as there is nothing to block its path. Also given how small it is surely it will get caught in the orbital pull of pretty much any other planet. That is why ships need engines and thrusters to resist the pull of gravity.

 

[gimmepie]

It will, as long as there is nothing to block its path. Also given how small it is surely it will get caught in the orbital pull of pretty much any other planet. That is why ships need engines and thrusters to resist the pull of gravity.

You're assuming a trajectory that will put it close enough to other celestial bodies for that to happen. I'd be more worried about junk floating in our atmosphere getting in the way than the gravity of other planets.

 

[Pinkie-Dawn]

What if we somehow found out aliens exist before the spacecraft completes its mission 20 years from now? There's always a possibility for that situation to happen.

 

[Midnight shadow]

You're assuming a trajectory that will put it close enough to other celestial bodies for that to happen. I'd be more worried about junk floating in our atmosphere getting in the way than the gravity of other planets.

I am, although my astro-physics is pretty weak, so I don't know exactly how it works. Still, given the size and weight of the ship they are planning to send, it could go into orbit around even the smallest celestial body.

 

[gimmepie]

I am, although my astro-physics is pretty weak, so I don't know exactly how it works. Still, given the size and weight of the ship they are planning to send, it could go into orbit around even the smallest celestial body.

Yeah but these things tend to be really far apart. There's plenty of space for a small craft to move through without getting caught by gravity.

 

[Esper]

The technology for all of this doesn't exactly exist yet so that 20 year plan won't start until some point in the future, meaning that it'll be 20+ years. Plus I imagine that any data it gets would take 4.3 years to get back to us since that's how far away it is. So we're looking at 24.3+ years before we learn anything.

Still, it's an interesting idea. Tiny, tiny spaceships flung into space at tremendous speeds with lasers.

 

[gimmepie]

The technology for all of this doesn't exactly exist yet so that 20 year plan won't start until some point in the future, meaning that it'll be 20+ years. Plus I imagine that any data it gets would take 4.3 years to get back to us since that's how far away it is. So we're looking at 24.3+ years before we learn anything.

Still, it's an interesting idea. Tiny, tiny spaceships flung into space at tremendous speeds with lasers.

Well the article said something along the lines of us having the technology within a generation. In technical terms that's also aprox 20 years for memory. So if we're going to hear anything I assume it'll be in approximately 44.3 years.

 

[Esper]

Well the article said something along the lines of us having the technology within a generation. In technical terms that's also aprox 20 years for memory. So if we're going to hear anything I assume it'll be in approximately 44.3 years.

If we're lucky aliens are already sending their tiny space probes to us. Waiting over 40 years to, maybe, learn about alien life is such a long time and I'd hate to die without knowing one way or the other.

 

[gimmepie]

If we're lucky aliens are already sending their tiny space probes to us. Waiting over 40 years to, maybe, learn about alien life is such a long time and I'd hate to die without knowing one way or the other.

It'll put me in my sixties and I doubt you're much older than me. Even if they make it though, there's only the smallest chance of them finding any life, let alone intelligent life, so I wouldn't get your hopes up (as much as it pains me to say it).

The thought of aliens coming here is both intriguing and frightening tbh. If they're anything like people, technologically superior beings interacting with us is unlikely to end well. Thankfully, it's stupid to assume aliens will act like people xD

 

[Kanzler]

How is this any different from our prior probes that have been sent to look for extraterrestrial life? IIRC we've been doing this for almost the last forty years.

 

[gimmepie]

How is this any different from our prior probes that have been sent to look for extraterrestrial life? IIRC we've been doing this for almost the last forty years.

This is different because it will be the first time we ever reach another star system and because it represents an enormous jump in the capabilities of human technology.

 

[Kanzler]

That's pretty impressive, actually reaching another star system. I guess that's something that has hitherto not accomplished. I wouldn't be surprised if we couldn't find any signs of alien life, though, the universe is a big place.

 

[Esper]

I wouldn't be surprised if we couldn't find any signs of alien life, though, the universe is a big place.

But then again, a few decades ago we only knew about planets in our own solar system and now we know there are thousands of them, including around our nearest neighbor. Obviously these are different things, but it just goes to show how much our knowledge can change in just a generation. Who knows, maybe in forty years people will take it for granted that life exists on a bunch of planets and new discoveries of new species won't even make headlines.