All Questions
Tagged with probe interstellar-travel
17 questions
3
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How easy would it be for an interstellar probe to identify planets in another star system?
Would sending an interstellar probe be the only way to completely map another star system or would it be eventually possible to map it from Earth, beyond any reasonable doubt?
If a probe is necessary, ...
- 219
6
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1
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How would we power probes or spaceships over hundered or thousands of years?
There are different optimal power sources for probes and spaceships for different kinds of missions.
Solar
Well suited for many missions in the inner solar system. Only limited degradation over time ...
- 4,266
-3
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1
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304
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What does it take to send a probe into a primordial black hole near the Oort cloud?
Since Sept 2019 there's been some speculation1 whether the hypothetical planet far beyond the Kuiper belt is actually a primordial black hole. It would be the closest black hole to the Earth (500 au ...
user35272
6
votes
1
answer
352
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What would the Voyager probes look like today?
In the 40+ years since their launching, after traveling through the solar system and now beyond, what would the Voyager probes look like today if we could see them up close? Would they look noticeably ...
- 313
14
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1
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Why didn't the Pioneer probes maintain communications with Earth as long as the Voyagers have? [duplicate]
The Pioneer Missions. March 26, 2007
PIONEER 10 SPACECRAFT SENDS LAST SIGNAL - After more than 30 years, it
appears the venerable Pioneer 10 spacecraft has sent its last signal
to Earth. ...
- 1,507
3
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2
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Could space probe Voyager 1 or 2 reach Alpha Centauri?
Is it possible for Voyager 1 or 2 to reach any other star? If yes, which one is it and how much time does it take to do that?
And in which direction are they now, and could we still communicate with ...
- 1,055
1
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1
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Can we get different images of the Milky Way? Or solar system?
The orbits of the planets are coplanar. We send probes out along this plane to explore planets.
Why can't we send a probe perpendicular to this plane (say due north from the earths perspective) and ...
- 113
8
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4
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Shortest time to place a probe further than Voyager 1?
Based on today's technology (requiring no new engineering hurdles to be solved), could a new interstellar space probe overtake Voyager 1's distance? It doesn't need to go in the same direction, but ...
- 183
3
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1
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207
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How to go about calculating the size and energy requirements for a space-based linear accelerator or railgun to accelerate small probes?
Apologies for the long question.
With all the speculation surrounding the newly-discovered Earth-sized planets a "mere" 40 ly distant, I'm revisiting earlier musings on ways to send interstellar ...
- 235
3
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2
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Why are meteors, asteroids and comets not used as propulsion for spacecrafts? [duplicate]
I know it would take a lengthy amount of time to reach the asteroids and meteors.
After hearing of the Europeans landing a probe on a comet, the first thing I could think of was: "Could this be used ...
- 133
5
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Can we not get outside the Local Galactic group?
Can we not escape the expansion of space to get outside the local group? I was doing some math, and the closest Group to us besides the Local Group is the M81 Group which is 11.4 Million light years ...
9
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4
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How will Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking's nanobots decelerate and transmit data upon arrival at Alpha Centauri?
Does anyone know what exactly is their plan, once they get there? How is that nano-thing going to slow down / take images / send data back to us? I couldn't find any information on this.
- 383
11
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1
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427
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Are any spacecraft heading remotely where Planet 9 is expected to be?
Planet 9, the hypothetical planet predicted Batygin and Brown, is expected to have an apoasis near the galactic center. Is there a spacecraft that is heading in that direction? Specifically, they ...
- 122k
28
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4
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Is there any way to find and track Pioneer 10, 11, and Voyager 1, 2?
The space probes Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, and Voyager 2 are the first man-made devices to have escaped from our solar system.
The main problem they face is the lack of power source in them.
...
- 1,621
10
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3
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1k
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What's our limit in sending probes to distant bodies?
Currently, we're able to aim probes at various bodies in the solar system pretty well.
Do we have the technology to send a probe to Alpha Centauri? If we're aiming at a star, approximately how far ...
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38
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Where are Pioneer 10, 11 and the Voyagers ultimately headed?
Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, and the two Voyagers are all headed out of the solar system. Has anybody extrapolated where they will all end up (if at all)? Is there a graphic that depicts the direction of ...
- 6,103
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6
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Alternative data transfer channels for inter-stellar probes?
The problem how it is possible to receive data from Voyager I at all is dealt in this question: https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/13227/how-earth-communicates-with-voyager-i
However, there ...
user43