When can humans set foot outside the solar system?

The planet has the potential to live the closest to the solar system at 4.2 light-years away, but that doesn't make scientists give up the dream of getting there.

Giant leap

One thousand years . That's the minimum number that we can set foot on the closest solar system star - Proxima Centauri (Star planet) - with existing methods. But since we discovered that this star is a life-capable planet, scientists have become more enthusiastic than the idea of ​​interstellar travel than ever before.

Guillem Anglada-Escude, who led the research team, discovered the planet responded in an interview with NPR: "Now, when we know the planet exists there, we can create it. We can think of solutions - sending ships to spy on unmanned stars or designing spacecraft to be dedicated to finding this planet. "

Interstellar travel is possible, but it is an unrealistic goal at the present time.

However, the distance of 4.2 light years between us and Proxima Centauri is a huge problem. It will take us a lot of time to find solutions. Readers of the Futurism site were invited to answer the survey about how much they expected to be able to reach this planet by the year. Up to 35% of respondents said that it is not until 2100 or so that we can fulfill this mission.

According to reader Charles Hornbostel: "It is expected that the man who set foot on Mars can only happen as early as 2025 - 2030, so it is understandable to assume that it must be at the end of the century. 21 then humans can reach the orbit of Neptune and Pluto, unless there is a new breakthrough in spacecraft technology. "

Hornbostel was right about the plans that major countries and companies are pursuing to bring people to Mars within the next 10 to 15 years. He is also right that many researchers are trying their best to create new technologies for spacecraft to travel in space faster - and experts have made some predictions about these problems.

What does the experts say?

Some cosmic enthusiasts are optimistic about the success of interstellar travel with the argument that if we focus and work hard now, we can reach Proxima Centauri by 2100 Some, like Marcus Young, a US Air Force lab researcher, think that possibility is not very positive. He shared with those who participated in the 2008 Joint Propulsion conference that his group had not found any viable options for interstellar travel .

According to Wired, he said: "There are many ideas that you will initially say" Oh, it can be successful. "But after a little research, you will quickly discover that it will unsuccessful".

However, Mr. Young also argued that scientists should continue to study the problems that interstellar travel poses, and they did. There are a number of ideas designed to help us escape the solar system, including fusion rockets currently being developed by a NASA-funded company. However, the radiation of these missiles is too toxic to carry people.

We can also use " solar sails" and accelerate them by laser projection. This is the approach that Breakthrough Starshot is implementing, but their goal is to send a small reconnaissance ship to the Centauri system, not a manned ship. Even if we get a spacecraft at a rate of 10 to 20% of the speed of light, we will still have to find ways to prevent the damage that space particles cause to the hull.

In addition, scientists must find ways to slow down when reaching the Centauri system. This is also the problem that SpaceX founder Elon Musk pointed out in an interview with Aeon. He believes interstellar travel is possible, but it is an unrealistic goal at the present time.

Elon Musk said: "If we have the opportunity to travel between planets, we need to focus entirely on becoming a multi-planet civilization. That will be the next step." And, if he is right, those who are passionate about the universe have a reason to hope, because a "colony" on Mars is only a few years away from us.