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NASA news: Caltech nanomaterial ‘speeds spacecraft 134,000,000 mph’
/pitbulldogbreed.com ^ | 09/09/2018

Posted on 09/09/2018 3:11:37 PM PDT by BenLurkin

Before man can cross the vast distances of space, the designs of spacecraft’s sails will be key – striking a delicate balance between mass, strength in addition to reflectivity.

Working with NASA, California Institute of Technology (Caltech) scientists have created the fresh material out of silicon in addition to its oxide, silica.

The team has figured out that will super-thin structures made of This specific composite can transform infrared light waves into a momentum that will would likely accelerate a probe to 134,000,000 mph.

Speeds like This specific can carry a little probe to our closest stellar neighbours, a huddle of stars called Proxima centauri, within decades rather than millennia.

(Excerpt) Read more at pitbulldogbreed.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: alphacentauric; apod; astronomy; breakthroughstarshot; caltech; dyingstar; eso; gregorybenford; jamesbenford; nanomaterial; nasa; philliplubin; projectstarshot; proximacentauri; proximacentaurib; reddwarf; science; silica; silicon; solarsails; xplanets; yurimilner
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To: TChad; ProtectOurFreedom
The craft would turn itself or its sails around the halfway point, duh. Actually, they'd probably be furled after the craft hits heliopause.

21 posted on 09/09/2018 3:49:28 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
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To: TChad
"R"


22 posted on 09/09/2018 3:50:46 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: BenLurkin

Does anyone know how to do the kinetic energy calculation for a micron size speck of space dust striking a sail or a space craft at 134 million miles per hour?

Second question - how do you slow down when you get to your destination?


23 posted on 09/09/2018 3:52:27 PM PDT by zeestephen
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To: BenLurkin

24 posted on 09/09/2018 3:53:26 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: PIF

Cool. So almost 20% of the speed of light. Pretty fast.. Theoretically you could send a probe a light year away in ~5 years.


25 posted on 09/09/2018 3:54:15 PM PDT by neverevergiveup
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To: FrankR
How about brakes; what’s the manual give as the “stopping distance” at such speeds?

The sails use light from our Sun to accelerate. They will likewise use the light from the destination star to slow down.

26 posted on 09/09/2018 3:54:52 PM PDT by PapaBear3625 ("It rubs the rainbow on it's skin or it gets the diversity again!")
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To: fieldmarshaldj; texas booster

Is there a “FoldingSpace@Home” project? ;^)


27 posted on 09/09/2018 3:55:17 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

You can use computers until the Butlerian jihad.


28 posted on 09/09/2018 3:57:08 PM PDT by I-ambush
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To: Flash Bazbeaux

I hope I dont have to pay for this. There is nothing out there and we are dead broke.


29 posted on 09/09/2018 3:57:11 PM PDT by raiderboy (Trump promised “shut down the government” in September; if no wall!!)
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To: Seruzawa

Giving the Centauris 17 years advance warning. At least, if any of them have read their Niven and Pournelle.


30 posted on 09/09/2018 3:59:10 PM PDT by JohnBovenmyer (Waiting for the tweets to hatch!)
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To: Seruzawa

Yep. 21 years to get to Centauri. Still too slow.


worse, there is deceleration time to be figured in either by reverse burn or orbital braking.


31 posted on 09/09/2018 4:01:05 PM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

It sounds like I can power it from take off with the flash on my IPhone if I take 17 trillion pictures in a row.


32 posted on 09/09/2018 4:01:12 PM PDT by KC Burke (If all the world is a stage, I would like to request my lighting be adjusted.)
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To: BenLurkin

At that speed wonder how they can avoid the rocks in space.


33 posted on 09/09/2018 4:10:47 PM PDT by Vaduz (women and children to be impacIQ of chimpsted the most.)
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To: Flash Bazbeaux

I wouldn’t want to hit dust at that speed.

Basically ifthat speed could be obtained we’d be potentially (because slowing down would be just as hard as speeding up and the craft may have been damaged but not destroyed or have had a malfunction in flight) turning out probe into a cosmic event for whatever starsystem was unlucky enough to have it aimed at them.


34 posted on 09/09/2018 4:13:57 PM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: Vaduz

Lots and lots of praying.


35 posted on 09/09/2018 4:15:31 PM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: BenLurkin

I thought the speed of light was 186,000 miles/sec. what am I reading wrong?


36 posted on 09/09/2018 4:17:01 PM PDT by camle (keep and open mind and someone will fill it full of something for you)
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To: camle

miles/sec versus miles/hour.. ok...


37 posted on 09/09/2018 4:17:41 PM PDT by camle (keep and open mind and someone will fill it full of something for you)
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To: Telepathic Intruder

From the source, it appears it was written by pit bulls.


38 posted on 09/09/2018 4:20:10 PM PDT by JennysCool
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To: BenLurkin

Is this a result of 0bama’s Muslim outreach project?

In his speeches mostly about himself lately, surely he would have mentioned that.

What would America do without 0bama’s wisdom?


39 posted on 09/09/2018 4:33:29 PM PDT by MichaelCorleone (Jesus Christ is not a religion. He's the Truth.)
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To: BenLurkin

I’ll get to Proxima Centauri before they will.


40 posted on 09/09/2018 4:45:50 PM PDT by beethovenfan (I always try to maximize my carbon footprint.)
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