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Monday, July 31, 2017





Blastoff for the tiny spaceship that could travel to Alpha Centauri to hunt for alien life: Breakthrough Starshot launches first prototype 'StarChips'

  • The tiny craft, dubbed Sprites, are built on a single 1.4-by-1.4 inch ciruit board 
  • They weigh 4 grams, and contain solar panels, computers, sensors, and radios
  • The craft launched aboard OHB System AG’s ‘Max Valier’ and ‘Venta’ satellites
  • They're now in low-Earth Orbit, and sending communications to ground stations

Breakthrough Starshot has successfully launched its first spacecraft, marking a major milestone for interstellar exploration and the search for life beyond our solar system.
The ‘Sprites,’ which reached low-Earth Orbit on June 23, are the smallest fully functional space probes ever made, with each built on a single circuit board measuring just 1.4-by-1.4 inches (3.5-by-3.5cm).
With the launch of the prototype Sprites, the initiative has brought spacecraft miniaturization closer to reality, and, in turn, its ultimate goal of sending a fleet of tiny, light-propelled ‘StarChips’ to our closest stellar neighbour, Alpha Centauri.
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The ‘Sprites,’ which reached low-Earth Orbit on June 23, are the smallest fully functional space probes ever made, with each built on a ingle circuit board measuring just 1.4-by-1.4 inches (3.5-by-3.5cm).
The ‘Sprites,’ which reached low-Earth Orbit on June 23, are the smallest fully functional space probes ever made, with each built on a single circuit board measuring just 1.4-by-1.4 inches (3.5-by-3.5cm)

THE FLEET OF 'SPRITES'

Breakthrough Starshot's 'Sprites' are the smallest fully functional space probes in the world.
They reached low-Earth Orbit on June 23 aboard. OHB System AG’s ‘Max Valier’ and ‘Venta’ satellites.
Each craft weighs just 4 grams, and measures 1.4-by-1.4 inches (3.5-by-3.5cm).
But, they're packed with solar panels, computers, sensors, and radios.
The Sprites will remain attached to the satellites, and communicate with ground stations in California and New York.The $100 million Breakthrough Starshot project, backed by Stephen Hawking and billionaire Yuri Milner, aims to develop spacecraft that can fly at 20 percent of light speed – and, with this technology, they hope to reach the nearby star system Alpha Centauri in just 20 years.
This would allow for unprecedented images and measurements of the potentially Earth-like exoplanet Proxima b.
The spacecraft launched last month aboard OHB System AG’s ‘Max Valier’ and ‘Venta’ satellites.
They each weigh just 4 grams, and are equipped with solar panels, computers, sensors, and radios.
The craft were developed by researchers at Cornell University following a 2011 Kickstarter campaign ‘KickSat’ to raise the necessary funds.
Now that they’re in low-Earth Orbit, they’ll remain attached to the satellites and communicate with ground stations in California and New York.Now that they’re in low-Earth Orbit, they’ll remain attached to the satellites and communicate with ground stations in California and New York
The spacecraft launched last month aboard OHB System AG’s ‘Max Valier’ and ‘Venta’ satellites
The spacecraft launched last month aboard OHB System AG’s ‘Max Valier’ (artist's impression shown left) and ‘Venta’ (artist's impression shown right) satellites

ALPHA CENTAURI

The Alpha Centauri star system is 25 trillion miles (4.37 light years) away. 
With today's fastest spacecraft, it would take about 30,000 years to get there.
Breakthrough Starshot aims to establish whether a gram-scale nanocraft, on a sail pushed by a light beam, can fly over a thousand times faster. 
Astronomers estimate that there is a reasonable chance of an Earth-like planet existing in the 'habitable zones' of Alpha Centauri's three-star system. And, amateur radio enthusiasts around the world will be able to tap in as well.
So far, the team says the communications received from the tiny craft show they’re performing as designed.
Breakthrough Starshot comes as part of the larger Breakthrough Initiatives, which also includes Breakthrough Listen.
The project is backed by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Stephen Hawking, and last month, the group revealed its joined forces with astronomers from the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester.
The two groups hope that sharing their data will help them to answer one of the biggest unanswered questions in the universe – whether or not aliens exist.
The Jodrell Bank team will conduct its search for aliens using its 76-metre Lovell Radio Telescope at in Greater Manchester.With the launch of the prototype Sprites, the initiative has brought spacecraft miniaturization closer to reality, and, in turn, its ultimate goal of sending a fleet of tiny, light-propelled ‘StarChips’ to our nearest star system, Alpha Centauri. An artist's impression is pictured 
With the launch of the prototype Sprites, the initiative has brought spacecraft miniaturization closer to reality, and, in turn, its ultimate goal of sending a fleet of tiny, light-propelled ‘StarChips’ to our nearest star system, Alpha Centauri. An artist's impression is pictured 

BREAKTHROUGH STARSHOT 

The project involves deploying thousands of tiny spacecraft to travel to our nearest star system and send back pictures.
If successful, scientists could determine if Alpha Centauri, a star system about 25 trillion miles away, contains an Earth-like planet.
The catch: It could take years to develop the project, dubbed Breakthrough Starshot, and there is no guarantee it will work.
The small light-propelled vehicles will carry equipment like cameras and communication equipment.
Breakthrough Starshot: a new exploratory space initiative
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Scientists hope the vehicles, known as nanocraft, will eventually fly at 20 per cent of the speed of lightt.
'The thing would look like the chip from your cell phone with this very thin gauzy light sail,' said Nasa's Pete Worden
'It would be something like 10, 12 feet across.'
He envisions sending a larger conventional spacecraft containing thousands of nanocraft into orbit, and then launching the nanocraft.
If they reach the star system and succeed in taking photographs, it would take about another four years to transmit them back. 
All the while, Breakthrough Listen has been gathering data with the Green Bank Radio Telescope in West Virginia, Lick Observatory's Automated Planet Finder on Mt Hamilton in California, and the Parkes Radio Telescope in Australia.
Breakthrough Listen revealed the initial results from their first year of observations this past spring.
After combing through petabytes of data, the Breakthrough Listen team ranked 11 events considered to be most significant – but so far, they’ve found no convincing signs of intelligent life

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