Directed energy propulsion (lasers) for interstellar travel. - Page 1

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Directed energy propulsion (lasers) for interstellar travel.

Posted: 6/25/2015 11:00:48 AM EDT

It seems NASA is investing in the research for laser-powered space probes. They'd be really tiny - wafer thin - but could theoretically achieve interstellar flight: 20 years' voyage to Alpha Centauri.

http://phys.org/news/2015-06-team-possibility-energy-propulsion-interstellar.html

A laser-powered wafer-thin spacecraft capable of reaching Alpha Centauri in 20 years may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but it's not. And while such a launch isn't imminent, the possibility of one in the future does exist, according to UC Santa Barbara physics professor Philip Lubin.

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Posted: 6/25/2015 8:32:01 PM EDT

[#1]

excellent

Posted: 6/26/2015 1:36:34 PM EDT

[#2]

Posted: 6/26/2015 1:47:56 PM EDT

[#3]

See, they're thinking way too hard on this. Just get an old school bus (short bus should be plenty) and duct tape a ton of cree flashlights on the back.

Posted: 7/15/2015 10:19:19 PM EDT

[#4]

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Quoted:
See, they're thinking way too hard on this. Just get an old school bus (short bus should be plenty) and duct tape a ton of cree flashlights on the back.

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Posted: 7/22/2015 1:16:56 PM EDT

[#5]

Only 20 years? WOW! How neat would it be to see spacecraft reach a star within our lifetime??

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Directed energy propulsion (lasers) for interstellar travel.

General » Math And Science

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