What will the first manned mission to Proxima Centauri be like? THE FIRST INTERSTELLAR JOURNEY!
What will the first Proxima Centauri voyage, the closest star to the solar system, be like? Will it
be with a spaceship like the ones we have today or with technology that doesn't exist yet? Who will
be the crew members of that mission, and what challenges will be presented during the flight?
Let's find out!
When discussing interstellar travel, we must consider a significant factor:
in the 21st century, we still do not have technology capable of traveling through the stars.
The spacecraft that have gone the furthest in history are Voyagers, which have not yet
made it entirely out of the solar system and still have thousands of years to go to get out.
In addition to the fact that our spacecrafts cannot yet travel long distances quickly,
we also do not have efficient propulsion systems.
Parker Probe The Parker Probe is a
spacecraft that NASA launched in August 2018 to study the Sun and its corona. It is the fastest
spacecraft ever built by humans and has managed to break several records in its short lifetime.
In November 2021, it became the closest spacecraft to the Sun, surpassing the previous record held
by the German Helios 2 spacecraft, which had come within 26.55 million miles of the Sun.
Parker also set a new speed record in April 2021, reaching 330,000
miles per hour on his closest approach to the Sun. It is hoped that with the help of the
gravitational assist of the Sun, the Parker probe managed to reach 430,000
miles per hour, but even this fantastic speed is still not enough to venture to the stars.
To reach these high speeds, space probes use gravitational assistance,
a technique used in space exploration that allows spacecraft to take advantage of the
gravitational force of the planets or the Sun to modify their speed and trajectory.
For example, suppose a spacecraft is approaching Jupiter. In that case,
it can use Jupiter's gravitational pull to increase its speed and send it on a
trajectory that takes it further from the Sun. As is evident, this acceleration method only
works if there are planets or stars in the way, but space is mostly empty; there is nothing
between one star and another, so this type of propulsion does not work for trips beyond the Sun.
As you have already realized, the main problem for the first human-crewed mission to Proxima
Centauri will be propulsion; if we do not have engines capable of generating enough power,
the trip could last thousands of years. In this sense, we could wait a couple
of decades or centuries to see how space travel technology progresses in the future.
In this way, the trip to Proxima Centauri could be the following two options:
1.A speedy voyage of a couple of decades, in which the crew that arrives can return to Earth.
2.A long journey in a generational ship with humans who will spend centuries or
millennia living in space until they reach their destination.
1. Travel with a return ticket In the first case, we have the
most optimistic option of all, a round trip at superluminal speeds, where we can build
a spaceship that reaches up to 10% or even, in the best of cases, 20%. of the speed of light,
with this speed the trip to the Proxima Centauri star would take approximately 20 years, it is a
long time, yes. Still, it is much more reasonable than a trip that lasts thousands of years.
Today we have no way of reproducing this speed in a spacecraft, although
many scientists believe that this speed could be achieved with Pulse Nuclear Propulsion.
In a pulsed nuclear-powered spacecraft, nuclear explosions would propel the craft into space.
Each explosion would create a shock wave pushing the ship in the opposite direction.
The spacecraft must be designed to withstand the extreme forces
generated by these explosions and protect the crew from radiation.
One of the main advantages of pulsed nuclear propulsion is that it can generate a large
amount of power from a small amount of fuel. This means the ship could be lighter and
require less interplanetary or interstellar travel fuel than other propulsion types.
Additionally, pulsed nuclear propulsion would allow spacecraft to reach speeds much higher than
those achieved by other propulsion technologies, which could significantly reduce travel time.
However, pulsed nuclear propulsion also presents some significant technical and safety challenges.
One of the biggest problems is controlling and directing the energy released by nuclear
explosions. The ship must be designed to withstand the extreme forces generated by these explosions
and protect the crew from radiation. Additionally, using nuclear materials in a spacecraft may raise
safety concerns and contamination risks in the event of accidents or failures.
Despite these challenges, pulsed nuclear propulsion remains a promising technology
for long-term space exploration. If the human race can build a ship
that reaches 20% of the speed of light with this technology, a young crew, with astronauts
between the ages of 20 and 30, could go to and from Proxima Centauri in a single lifetime.
The only inconvenience is that when they return to Earth, 40 years will have passed,
but on Earth, hundreds or thousands of years will have passed due to time dilation.
According to the theory of relativity, the faster you move in space, the slower you move in time.
For a group of astronauts traveling at speeds close to the light,
time will pass more slowly compared to those of us staying here on Earth, while for them,
a few decades will pass, and on Earth, hundreds or perhaps thousands of years will pass.
In this sense, perhaps the best thing for the first astronauts to visit Proxima Centauri will
be to do everything possible not to return since by the time they return to Earth,
all the people who knew them will already have died naturally due to the passage of time.
Those who venture to explore the stars must pay a heavy price, never seeing their loved ones again.
Considering this. Would you dare to be the first human being to travel to Proxima Centauri,
even with the cost that this implies? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Due to this factor, the most reasonable thing is that the spacecraft that makes
the first trip to Proxima Centauri takes with it everything necessary to establish
a base in the possible habitable planets that the astronauts find;
one option could be the exoplanet Proxima B the which orbits around the star Proxima Centauri.
It is still debated whether this planet could have the necessary conditions for life, but if not,
we could carry everything necessary to terraform it and make it the new home of the human race.
2. Travel without a return ticket If it becomes impossible to reach such
high speeds, even with the advancement of technology in the next few years,
the only option left for us would be a mission that lasts several centuries or millennia.
To withstand such a long voyage, the first option would be to put the entire crew in
sleep pods. This has been seen in science fiction movies like "Alien" or "Passengers. "
This technology consists of placing the passenger in an indefinite artificial coma
that keeps the body protected from the passage of time and then wakes up when
they are about to reach their destination. However, sleep pod technology is still not
fully developed, and some risks are involved, such as the possibility of brain damage or
long-term health problems. It is still unknown if this type of technology could ever exist a Day.
In addition, this has some drawbacks, mainly because the spacecraft could have malfunctions
or breakdowns during the trip. Fixing them would require human intervention, so the crew must be
alert to perform essential tasks on the way One solution to this would be for robots and
artificial intelligence technology to advance so much in the future that they could fully
take over control of the ship and fix all the flaws, so astronauts don't have to wake up.
It is most likely that the first trip to Proxima Centauri will carry not only
humans but also the most advanced robots to assist the astronauts throughout the mission.
Another option to run a long journey would be using a generation ship. In this approach, several
generations of people would live and die aboard the spaceship as it traveled to Proxima Centauri.
This idea has been featured in movies like "Interstellar," We discussed this in much
more detail in a past video about how long the first trip to Proxima Centauri will take.
Although it sounds too futuristic, many scientists believe this approach is the most realistic.
It could be a more practical and safer solution for such a long journey since it can be done with
modern technology. On the contrary, the other two options contemplate the use of superluminal
speeds and sleep capsules, technologies that we don't know if they will ever exist.
In addition to the fact that with a generational ship, the astronauts who arrive at Proxima
Centauri will not arrive alone, and they will not be forced to leave behind all their loved ones, as
in the case of a ship that will reach superluminal speeds, will arrive with all their loved ones as
crew members of the same spacecraft in which they were traveling for centuries or millennia.
Difficulties and problems A journey to the Proxima
Centauri star is not easy, and many challenges and problems must be solved.
Some of the biggest challenges include the following:
Distance: The closest star to Earth, Proxima Centauri, is about 4.24 light-years away.
At the speed of light, this journey would take more than four years, which is currently
impossible. The journey would take at least 20 years, even with laser sail propulsion technology.
Radiation: Space is full of dangerous radiation, including cosmic rays and charged particles.
This radiation can be highly harmful to humans and technology.
Adequate protective measures will be needed to ensure the safety of the crew and the craft.
Life Support: The crew will require life support throughout the voyage. This includes food, water,
air, and energy. The generation spaceship would require a resource
recycling system and the ability to produce food and supplies on board.
Isolation: The voyage will be extraordinarily long, and the crew will be isolated from Earth for
the entire time. This could significantly impact the mental and emotional health of the crew.
Measures will be needed to ensure the crew stays healthy and engaged throughout the voyage.
Although there are many technical and safety challenges to overcome,
research and development of the technologies used for space exploration are ongoing,
and scientists and astronauts continue to dream of the possibilities that could open up with it.
Space exploration is a human endeavor that unites us all,
regardless of our differences. It leads us to look to the future and inspires us to work together to
overcome challenges and achieve bold goals. So let's keep dreaming with the stars,
working hard to overcome the challenges that come our way, and keep advancing space exploration.
Who knows what wonders we will discover and what achievements we will reach in the future
but one thing is sure: our passion for exploration will take us further and further.