StarShot

[Eric Mc]

Toaster's posts in this forum invariably tend to put a bad taste on every discussion. My policy now is just to ignore his comments as the threads end up deviating from genuine discussion and interest on the topic in question.

[p1stonhead]

Eric Mc said:

Toaster's posts in this forum invariably tend to put a bad taste on every discussion. My policy now is just to ignore his comments as the threads end up deviating from genuine discussion and interest on the topic in question.

Its really bizarre isnt it? He just turns up and puts a stter on everything.

He is probably a creationist out to try and sabotage the advancement of science

I'd be interested to hear what he has done to advance science himself. His answer was 'oh indeed I have [advanced science]'

[Eric Mc]

I'm not interested in anything he has to say, to be honest. His comments are just tedious now and he seems to revel in dragging down topics.

I've fallen into the trap of debating with him in the past. I've learned my lesson now.

[Flooble]

So back to the topic - what do people think of the challenges?

They seem to have calculated their probability of interacting with dust during the journey, but I wonder how detailed their impact simulation is. Going at 20% of light speed is an awful lot of energy when you are just a tiny little chip without protection and a small fleck of dust is in the way ...

[Eric Mc]

They intend to send hundreds, maybe even thousands, of such probes on the mission. Look on it as a kind of "swarm" of nano-probes. So, even if some get taken out by collisions with dust particles or other accidents, some will survive to make it through to the target.

[rhinochopig]

What's very exciting about this is that it *MAY* be possible for us to see what these galaxies look like within our lifetime IF the QUESS project (use of QE particles for communication) is successful AND the EPR paradox is wrong. Lots of if and buts, but we went from biplanes to standing on the moon in <100 years. Who knows.

[AshVX220]

Being a swarm, do we think that's how they would send information back to us, as an array, all individual but able to operate together to boost the signal or something?

[jammy_basturd]

Am I right in thinking it's going to take at least 4.3 years for any data sent to get back to Earth? And as we're using light to transmit the data, if anything gets in the way, a few specks of dust or an extremely small meteorite or asteroid, that data transmission will be interrupted, potentially ruined?

[rhinochopig]

jammy_basturd said:

Am I right in thinking it's going to take at least 4.3 years for any data sent to get back to Earth? And as we're using light to transmit the data, if anything gets in the way, a few specks of dust or an extremely small meteorite or asteroid, that data transmission will be interrupted, potentially ruined?

Not necessarily if the experiments with QE particles prove fruitful. There are some theories that QE particles permit instantaneous comms across the galaxy. Other theories suggest it is not possible as it would imply FTL 'travel', i.e. the EPR paradox.

One can only hope that Einstein, Podolosky and Rosen were wrong on this.

[Eric Mc]

jammy_basturd said:

Am I right in thinking it's going to take at least 4.3 years for any data sent to get back to Earth? And as we're using light to transmit the data, if anything gets in the way, a few specks of dust or an extremely small meteorite or asteroid, that data transmission will be interrupted, potentially ruined?

But there will be hundreds of probes - not just one.

[p1stonhead]

The only question I care about is - will I (aged 29) be alive to see any of this?!

[Eric Mc]

You might.

I won't

[jammy_basturd]

p1stonhead said:

The only question I care about is - will I (aged 29) be alive to see any of this?!

It depends. When are you thinking of dying?

[p1stonhead]

jammy_basturd said:

p1stonhead said:

The only question I care about is - will I (aged 29) be alive to see any of this?!

It depends. When are you thinking of dying?

Well I will stick around a bit longer if its close!

[BigMacDaddy]

ash73 said:

The Alpha Centaurians will think we've built a deathstar and are taking pot-shots at them.

[AshVX220]

p1stonhead said:

jammy_basturd said:

p1stonhead said:

The only question I care about is - will I (aged 29) be alive to see any of this?!

It depends. When are you thinking of dying?

Well I will stick around a bit longer if its close!

I'm 44 and would like to think I'll at least be around for the launch.

[AshVX220]

rhinochopig said:

Not necessarily if the experiments with QE particles prove fruitful. There are some theories that QE particles permit instantaneous comms across the galaxy. Other theories suggest it is not possible as it would imply FTL 'travel', i.e. the EPR paradox.

One can only hope that Einstein, Podolosky and Rosen were wrong on this.

What are QE particles? Google has failed me.

[Flooble]

AshVX220 said:

What are QE particles? Google has failed me.

Quantum Entangled

"Spooky Action at a Distance"

So far, the "light barrier" has held up I believe. There was much excitement when some scientists thought they had found they had communicated FTL but it turned out they had got their clock set wrong :-)

[Flooble]

ash73 said:

It was frustrating nobody asked them in the Q&A what the output of the proof of concept would be, i.e. theory and papers, lab-tests or working prototype. The concept is interesting to me not just because of the tech but because existing exo-planet searches don't work with nearby stars; there could be an Earth 2.0 within reach and we don't even know about it.

I missed the Q&A where a lot of the questions I've asked seem to have been answered (e.g. the laser communications which you pointed out and it took me ages to find on the, itself hard to find, "challenges" page). Do you know if it's online anywhere.

[Flooble]

Thanks!