tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post4467995232236689259..comments2024-03-25T05:26:47.764-04:00Comments on The Peerless Power of Comics!: ...And The Crowd Goes Wild!Comicsfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10064955427593820783noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post-82214927539761021932017-04-04T00:01:53.989-04:002017-04-04T00:01:53.989-04:00If that's true, that we can reach Alpha Centau...If that's true, that we can reach Alpha Centauri in six years or so, then interstellar exploration is possible (maybe unmanned exploration, until we figure out suspended animation). I didn't know that. That kind of blows my mind.<br /><br />M.P.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post-82681742425929034002017-04-03T21:02:49.513-04:002017-04-03T21:02:49.513-04:00Yikes, I stand corrected, Colin--thanks for the fa...Yikes, I stand corrected, Colin--thanks for the fascinating info!<br /><br />Y'know, I wonder what the chips need with a sail, since it sounds like the propulsion is handled by the chip, thanks to the laser beam? It also occurs to me that the Jupiter-2 (had it stayed on course) would have reached Alpha Centauri in only 5.5 years, and that was with technology dating way back to 1997. I wonder what the think tank for this project has to say about <i>that?</i> :D<br />Comicsfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10064955427593820783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post-19036654567896746422017-04-03T20:43:41.819-04:002017-04-03T20:43:41.819-04:00By the way, it's nothing to do with NASA - the...By the way, it's nothing to do with NASA - the idea comes from an indepedent group of scientists and entrepreneurs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post-33678708018506390572017-04-03T20:34:10.023-04:002017-04-03T20:34:10.023-04:00CF, "star chips" are little silicon chip...CF, "star chips" are little silicon chips (the kind of things found in a phone or tablet) which are attached to a space-sail about 4 meters wide. A laser beam is then fired at the chip which makes it travel at 20% light-speed towards Alpha Centauri which it will reach in about 20 years. The chip would collect data and beam it back to Earth. The plan is to send a fleet of star-chips hoping that some will make it even though most will be destroyed on the journey. But the article in 'Scientific American' just showed how near-impossible the idea is - for example the material for the space-sail doesn't even exist yet and will need to be invented from scratch ! And when beaming back their data the chips would need to accurately target tiny Earth from 4 light-years away. It makes a colony on Mars look easy by comparison !Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post-35328045935352579472017-04-03T18:13:19.682-04:002017-04-03T18:13:19.682-04:00Colin, I'm assuming you meant to say "sta...Colin, I'm assuming you meant to say "star<i>ships</i>," otherwise we'll have to assume that for some reason junk food is being sent to Alpha Centauri, as fast as possible. Let's see NASA explain <i>that</i> to the budget commission!<br /><br />Also, just for the sake of argument, I think it's been established that the FF get around so quickly in space because they travel through sub-space to circumvent the time factor. We could also assume that the High Evolutionary made Counter-Earth undetectable to its sister planet on the other side of the sun--after all, a guy like him isn't likely to let a little detail like that slip through the cracks.<br />Comicsfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10064955427593820783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post-6033433413705430892017-04-03T09:50:49.533-04:002017-04-03T09:50:49.533-04:00And the Torch lands on the solid surface of Jupite...And the Torch lands on the solid surface of Jupiter even though Jupiter is a gas planet with no solid surface. But you don't need to go back to the '40s for examples of weird science - the Fantastic Four regularly traversed the galaxy in a few hours despite the fact that even at light-speed it would take 100,000 years. And Counter-Earth was completely undetectable even though its' gravitational effects on the other planets would mean it was spotted within hours. But why stick to comics for examples of weird science - the latest issue of 'Scientific American' has a cover story about the plan to send "star chips" to Alpha Centauri mounted on giant space-sails which would apparently travel at 20% of light-speed. After reading the article I concluded that the idea was insane and unworkable but it's backed by the likes of Professor Stephen Hawking. They've been reading way too many comics and sci-fi novels !Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com