Reaching another star with a human-built spacecraft has for decades seemed like a challenge as distant as, well, any far-off star humans might try to reach. But now new technology utilizing small unmanned spacecrafts directed by lasers could offer a path forward in the coming decades, scientists say.
Astrophysicist Philip Lubin is one of those scientists. He’s developing wafer-thin crafts that will be guided through space by lasers that push the device close to the speed of light. The total travel time to Mars could be just a few days, Lubin says.
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The idea may sound like science fiction, but Lubin says recent advances make the project feasible. And he’s attracting the capital to test it. Russian billionaire Yuri Milner just committed $100 million in the hope that Lubin will be able to build a proof of concept.
Watch the video above to learn more.
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