Astronomers Plan On Slowing Down Spacecraft In Alpha Centauri

Last April, billionaire Yuri Milner, with the support of Stephen Hawking and Mark Zuckerberg, proposed to send a tiny spacecraft to Alpha Centauri -- the closest star system of the Solar System. The said craft will accelerate to around 20 percent the speed of light using photonic propulsion technology. Essentially, they are to build lasers on Earth that could blast a reflective surface up to relativistic speeds, which can be done with the current technology.

Popular Mechanics noted that if it all goes smoothly, the probe could reach its destination in 20 or 30 years. The problem, however, is how to slow down the probe from 100 million mph so that it does not sail past the star system too fast.

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute came up with a plan. They wanted not only to do a flyby but to also have the probe actually visit the Earth-like planet recently discovered -- Proxima b. Astrophysicist Michael Hippke said, "The time for a few snapshots is only seconds, and if you miss the target, it's all for nothing. In contrast, if you manage to go in orbit around your target, you can stay there as long as your probe functions."

As pointed out by National Geographic, the idea is compelling. But it would take scientists longer than a lifetime to achieve such goals. The Alpha Centauri-bound spacecraft would take about 95 years to reach the Centauri system, and it could take another 46 years to reach Proxima b. This means that any science data that can be studied would be delivered to future generations.

Then, there are a number of major engineering problems that researchers will have to solve, including the material to be used for the spacecraft's sails -- extremely thin and light but mega tough -- to survive the trip. There is also the question of how to power the craft, as force by starlight alone could not take the probe to Proxima b.

However, the returns of such mission may be worth the wait. After all, it is for an Earthling robot to study another Earth -- a feat so great that even Peter Pan cannot travel to this second star straight on until morning.