Hawking & Russian Billionare to send probe to A. Centauri at 20% speed of light

[HisMajestyBOB]

Maybe we should just spam them to all corners of the galaxy and stamp them with "If found, please return to Earth."

[Malthus]

If you started raining iPhone-sized machines traveling at .2 C you on to a planet, it would cause some really big booms.

Shelling an alien civilization with high speed iphones would be the perfect human first contact though.

If each one was a seed that grew a Starbucks where it landed, it would be perfect. And not unexpected. 

[KRonn]

Pretty damn cool concept and idea! Next, the manned missions using large space craft with similar propulsion systems.   

[Valmy]

Pretty damn cool concept and idea! Next, the manned missions using large space craft with similar propulsion systems.   

We would have to damn lucky to find a planet fit for settlement in the closest star system. But yes. A 50 year trip is at least conceivable.

[MadBurgerMaker]

If each one was a seed that grew a Starbucks where it landed, it would be perfect. And not unexpected. 

We're talking about galactic war to the bitter end now.

[Razgovory]

If you started raining iPhone-sized machines traveling at .2 C you on to a planet, it would cause some really big booms.

Shelling an alien civilization with high speed iphones would be the perfect human first contact though.

If each one was a seed that grew a Starbucks where it landed, it would be perfect. And not unexpected. 

I am so going to steal that joke.  "If you bury an IPhone a Starbucks will grow.

[Hamilcar]

I have a bridge to sell to these people. 

[Razgovory]

I have a bridge to sell to these people. 

Does it take them to Proxima Centauri?

[Grinning_Colossus]

I have a bridge to sell to these people. 

Is there something theoretically unsound about making a little thing go really really fast?


Perhaps they could just use an Emdrive.

[Razgovory]

I have a bridge to sell to these people. 

Is there something theoretically unsound about making a little thing go really really fast?


Perhaps they could just use an Emdrive.

I don't think there is anything theoretically unsound, it just has enormous practical problems.  For instance, a laser could be used as propulsion, but the faster the craft moves the faster it get beyond the effective range of a laser.  And you can't put all the energy up front because the acceleration would crush the craft.

http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/enginelist.php#laserthermal  This guy does a pretty good job demonstrating the tyranny of science.  His website good for pretty much all your sci-fi space questions.  Space travel is hard.