Should We Fly to Another Star Soon? Or Wait for Better Technology to Come Along?
It’s hard to really wrap your mind around the vast distances between stars. The fastest spacecraft ever launched into an interstellar trajectory right now is Voyager 1. If it was directed at the nearest star, it would take tens of thousands of years to make the journey across the interstellar gulf.
Even so, groups like Breakthrough Starshot and Icarus Interstellar are working on plans right now to try and send spacecraft to other stars, ideally within our lifetimes.
But we can see how quickly technology is advancing all around us, from materials science to high energy physics, not to mention reusable rockets.
It seems reasonable to ask, should we invest in an interstellar mission now, or wait a few decades or even centuries for better technology to come along which could make the trip much shorter?
You can also watch the video on YouTube:
Should We Fly to Another Star Soon_ Or Wait for Better Technology to Come Along_.mp4 (Vimeo)
Comments (3)
William Beckham Science fiction has used that for decades, suspended animation, and I'm sure that there is some research going on to find out the possibilities. I believe the problems are how to freeze the cells without damaging them (probably because of the water content) and then how to unfreeze them, again without causing damage.
Maybe hibernation is the answer. Avoid the years.
On the surface the idea sounds reasonable but the background radiation destroys genetics and flesh. Without constant self-repair going on even mild radiation would kill like being "pecked to death by ducks".