Proxima B - To probe or not to probe?

Mariner 4 ran into a whole cloud of dust on its way to Mars. It wasn't going at 0.2C however. NASA didn't know it was there.

 

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/watchtheskies/meteor_cloud.html

A probe going to another star would also not be 0.2C by that point.

A probe going to another star would also not be 0.2C by that point.

Quite so. But the point is there is dust and dust clouds in the Solar system. For a probe to go to Proxima B it must first travel through our Solar system where it will encounter said dust. And to get to Proxima B and report its findings back to Earth in a reasonable timeframe it will have to travel very fast indeed so rather than being slightly damaged by dust like Mariner 4, it could be ripped to shreds by it.

Voyager 1 isn't going all that fast. It would still be nowhere near Proxima B if it had been aimed at it. After 39 years it is 135 astronomical units from the Sun. It's maximum velocity is 62,000 km/h. There are 63,240 AUs in one light year. Proxima Centauri is more than 4 light years away.

Enough of my wittering. Here is some research.

http://arxiv.org/abs/1608.05284

It certainly needs to go a lot faster than anything we've launched before. But the acceleration phase will last (if we're using laser propulsion) for a long time, so it probably won't be going all that fast whilst still in the inner system.

Maybe we should forget about Proxima b and send a probe to HD 164595 b instead.

http://observer.com/2016/08/not-a-drill-seti-is-investigating-a-possible-extraterrestrial-signal-from-deep-space/

90 light years instead of 4... That's going to take a lot longer.

I'd start with the close target and prove that the technology is viable before going for the one 20 times as far away!

90 light years instead of 4... That's going to take a lot longer.

 

I'd start with the close target and prove that the technology is viable before going for the one 20 times as far away!

Yeah, I know, but say they are an intelligent Kardashev Type II civilisation. The probe might not need to get all the way there before they come and say hi (on the basis that the signal was directed and they might be monitoring us for a response).

Maybe we should forget about Proxima b and send a probe to HD 164595 b instead.

http://observer.com/2016/08/not-a-drill-seti-is-investigating-a-possible-extraterrestrial-signal-from-deep-space/

Tabloid overhype I'm afraid.

SETI Institute damps down 'wow!' signal report from Russia

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/08/30/seti_institute_damps_down_wow_signal_report_from_russia/

it could feasibly be “interference from a passing satellite”.

“It doesn’t even look like terrestrial interference has been ruled out — sometimes something as simple as a spark from a power line can cause radio interference that can mess with telescopes.

 

With only one blip like this, seen by one telescope, it’s really impossible to know what it might have come from.”

unexpected signals are a common occurrence, and so far haven't needed extra-terrestrials to explain them

Yeah, I know, but say they are an intelligent Kardashev Type II civilisation. The probe might not need to get all the way there before they come and say hi (on the basis that the signal was directed and they might be monitoring us for a response).

If it's a real signal and not a bit of random noise, then the quickest way to get a response would be to send a directed signal back. No need for a probe at 0.2C when we can send a signal at 1.0C. We might get a reply within 200 years that way!