Hawking, Zuckerberg and Russian Billionaire Joined in Alien Hunting Mission
Hawking, Zuckerberg and Russian Billionaire Joined in Alien Hunting Mission
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NEW YORK - The most ambitious alien-hunting mission in history launched by Stephen Hawking, teamed up with Russian billionaire Yuri Milner and Mark Zuckerberg.
The $100m project, called Breakthrough Starshot, will rely on tiny so-called 'nanocraft' flying on sails pushed by beams of light through the universe. They will travel to the Alpha Centauri star system 25 trillion miles (4.37 light years) away on a twenty year mission to look for alien life.
"For the first time in human history, we can do more than look at the stars, we can reach them," said Yuri Milner, founder of the Breakthrough Initiatives.
Each of these 'interstellar sailboats' is expected to carry cameras and a built in GPS to search deep space for habitable planets.
"55 years ago today, Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. Today, we are preparing for the next great leap. Earth is a wonderful place, but it might not last forever," commented Stephen Hawking.
"Sooner or later, we must look to the stars. Breakthrough Starshot is a very exciting first step on that journey. With light beams, light sails and the lightest spacecraft ever built we can launch a mission to Alpha Centauri within a generation," added Hawking.
The $100 million research and engineering program will seek proof of concept for using light beam to propel super lightweight nanocraft to 20 per cent of light speed.
A possible fly-by mission could reach Alpha Centauri within about 20 years of its launch, Milner said, and also revealed Mark Zuckerberg is joining the project's board.
These craft are designed to take images of planets and other scientific data in our nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, just over 20 years after their launch.
Astronomers estimate that there is a reasonable chance of an Earth-like planet existing in the 'habitable zones' of Alpha Centaur's three-star system.
The program will be led by Pete Worden, the former director of Nasa Ames Research Center, and advised by a committee of world-class scientists and engineers.
"Today we commit to this next great leap into this cosmos, because we are human and our nature is to fly.
We take inspiration from Vostok, Voyager, Apollo and the other great missions," said Worden.
"It's time to open the era of interstellar flight, but we need to keep our feet on the ground to achieve this," added Millner.
Following that, development of the ultimate mission to Alpha Centauri would require a budget comparable to the largest current scientific experiments.
However, the key elements of the proposed system design are based on technology either already available or likely to be attainable in the near future under reasonable assumptions.
The proposed light propulsion system is on a scale significantly exceeding any currently operational analog. The very nature of the project calls for global co-operation and support. Clearance for launches would be required from all the appropriate government and international organizations.
As the technology required for interstellar travel matures, a number of additional opportunities will emerge, including the following:
Astronomers estimate that there is a reasonable chance of an Earth-like planet existing in the 'habitable zones' of Alpha Centauri's three-star system.
The $100m project, called Breakthrough Starshot, will rely on tiny so-called 'nanocraft' flying on sails pushed by beams of light through the universe. They will travel to the Alpha Centauri star system 25 trillion miles (4.37 light years) away on a twenty year mission to look for alien life.
"For the first time in human history, we can do more than look at the stars, we can reach them," said Yuri Milner, founder of the Breakthrough Initiatives.
Each of these 'interstellar sailboats' is expected to carry cameras and a built in GPS to search deep space for habitable planets.
"55 years ago today, Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. Today, we are preparing for the next great leap. Earth is a wonderful place, but it might not last forever," commented Stephen Hawking.
"Sooner or later, we must look to the stars. Breakthrough Starshot is a very exciting first step on that journey. With light beams, light sails and the lightest spacecraft ever built we can launch a mission to Alpha Centauri within a generation," added Hawking.
The $100 million research and engineering program will seek proof of concept for using light beam to propel super lightweight nanocraft to 20 per cent of light speed.
A possible fly-by mission could reach Alpha Centauri within about 20 years of its launch, Milner said, and also revealed Mark Zuckerberg is joining the project's board.
These craft are designed to take images of planets and other scientific data in our nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, just over 20 years after their launch.
Astronomers estimate that there is a reasonable chance of an Earth-like planet existing in the 'habitable zones' of Alpha Centaur's three-star system.
The program will be led by Pete Worden, the former director of Nasa Ames Research Center, and advised by a committee of world-class scientists and engineers.
"Today we commit to this next great leap into this cosmos, because we are human and our nature is to fly.
We take inspiration from Vostok, Voyager, Apollo and the other great missions," said Worden.
"It's time to open the era of interstellar flight, but we need to keep our feet on the ground to achieve this," added Millner.
Following that, development of the ultimate mission to Alpha Centauri would require a budget comparable to the largest current scientific experiments.
However, the key elements of the proposed system design are based on technology either already available or likely to be attainable in the near future under reasonable assumptions.
The proposed light propulsion system is on a scale significantly exceeding any currently operational analog. The very nature of the project calls for global co-operation and support. Clearance for launches would be required from all the appropriate government and international organizations.
As the technology required for interstellar travel matures, a number of additional opportunities will emerge, including the following:
Astronomers estimate that there is a reasonable chance of an Earth-like planet existing in the 'habitable zones' of Alpha Centauri's three-star system.
(rnz)
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