Proxima B - To probe or not to probe?

Astrophysicists excitedly announced yesterday that our nearest star (Proxima Centauri) is being orbited by an earth sized planet, named Proxima B, in the 'goldilocks zone' which could mean liquid water and alien life.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-37167390

Given that this is our closest star it's the easiest extra solar planet to get to. So hey, why not? Our ancestors will thank us in 70,000 years when they start to get the data back. If it's going to take that long to get there, we better get started ASAP. The efforts to send probes to far flung systems will start a new era of technological exploration for the human race. It might even lead to first contact with alien life.

so what miraculous technology is going to make a probe that can last so long and travel so far?

Not sure why you think it would take 70,000 years. Sure, the New Horizons craft that just left Pluto would take that long, but that was never planned to go any further, same as the old Voyager craft that would take almost 300,000 years. So it's clearly possible to make craft go faster if we want to. Or need to in the case of visiting Proxima.

Currently the only way we currently have of achieving faster travel is the Ion drive and that will still be prohibitively long in it's current form. But the Breakthrough Starshot programme, which is currently testing technologies that exist already, could reach Proxima in about 20 years

http://earthsky.org/space/alpha-centauri-travel-time

The 70,000 years was quoted by the BBC somewhere. If it's 20 years then I'm all in on going for it.

In that case I suppose space debris would be a challenge and not the longevity of the technology.

In that case I suppose space debris would be a challenge and not the longevity of the technology.

Not sure there is much debris in interstellar space. Unless it's a spanner dropped by some aliens, it's only likely to be stuff we sent. Which as far as I'm aware only currently consists of the Voyager craft. But then we haven't been there yet so we don't really know.

In that case I suppose space debris would be a challenge and not the longevity of the technology.

Not really. Space is notoriously quite large and empty.

Although I think the 20 years figure assumes a top speed of 20% C, at which point stray atoms might be an issue, never mind any actual "debris".

Not really. Space is notoriously quite large and empty.

 

Although I think the 20 years figure assumes a top speed of 20% C, at which point stray atoms might be an issue, never mind any actual "debris".

At that speed I think I read they would be annihilated and experienced as radiation. Which might be dangerous to humans but not to properly shielded components of a probe. Tho I'm no scientist. I'm sure one will be along soon and confirm this (or not).

At that speed I think I read they would be annihilated and experienced as radiation. Which might be dangerous to humans but not to properly shielded components of a probe. Tho I'm no scientist. I'm sure one will be along soon and confirm this (or not).

Given the "success" of my falling scaff pole thread, don't hold you breath for those scientists.

Wait a bit longer and the discovery channel or nat geo will knock out a programme about it - they're often quite sharp when something like this happens.

The 70,000 years was quoted by the BBC somewhere. If it's 20 years then I'm all in on going for it.

The Starshot programme is claiming a flyby plus photos sent back by 2060:

http://uk.businessinsider.com/starshot-proxima-centauri-habitable-planet-2016-8

If it takes 20 years and 4 years to send the photos back, they would need to launch in 2035. Sadly I'll probably be dead by 2060!

Given the "success" of my falling scaff pole thread, don't hold you breath for those scientists.

 

Wait a bit longer and the discovery channel or nat geo will knock out a programme about it - they're often quite sharp when something like this happens.

Hmm... I'm not sure that will be any better. I wasted an hour of my life watching 'Horizon' the other day about the possibility they had discovered a new particle at the LHC. In the end...

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...they hadn't!

I felt like sueing the BBC for wasted time!

Not sure there is much debris in interstellar space. Unless it's a spanner dropped by some aliens, it's only likely to be stuff we sent. Which as far as I'm aware only currently consists of the Voyager craft. But then we haven't been there yet so we don't really know.

Do you know how much damage a fleck of debris such as a paint chip would do at the velocities required to reach Proxima B?