Bill Nye Explains the Science Behind Solar Sails
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Date: 2022-07-06
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Comments and reviews: 10
John
Cool experiment, and the engineering challenges for a much larger sail to actually sail (at least augment, obviously) something practical, like a communicating probe, out of our solar system and into another one 4 light years away, or more, is intense.
Turns out the sail works both sides increasing speed OUT of SOL's solar system, and REDUCING it into the Proxima Centauri system, a nearly required/almost a given first target.
Now THAT would be cool science, as we currently know basically NOTHING about the system, and think about an EIGHT year out and back communications, link, where light for the first time in an experiment seems UNGODLY SLOW. the probe would have to be basically AI driven, at least in limited functional areas, ABSOLUTELY fully autonomous, and we'd finally get to see what it would be seeing currently when it finally DID get there, would be received four years later. pretty amazing stuff. Our tech is just about getting there to do this in most areas, as far as I can see, and given a directed -thrust- (see what I did there) -we- could conceivably at least -notionalize- such a mission. now the WILL required to actually begin the functional H/W & S/W, who knows? But the science!
Outside the span of my lifetime, almost certainly, to finish the mission, but possibly within those just being born now, given chemical, ion, solar sail, and possibly nuclear powered drives, or something not yet known, though I suspect FTL either not doable, or a LONG way down the road, assuming -civilized- humanity lasts that long, which I find doubtful at present.
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Cool experiment, and the engineering challenges for a much larger sail to actually sail (at least augment, obviously) something practical, like a communicating probe, out of our solar system and into another one 4 light years away, or more, is intense.
Turns out the sail works both sides increasing speed OUT of SOL's solar system, and REDUCING it into the Proxima Centauri system, a nearly required/almost a given first target.
Now THAT would be cool science, as we currently know basically NOTHING about the system, and think about an EIGHT year out and back communications, link, where light for the first time in an experiment seems UNGODLY SLOW. the probe would have to be basically AI driven, at least in limited functional areas, ABSOLUTELY fully autonomous, and we'd finally get to see what it would be seeing currently when it finally DID get there, would be received four years later. pretty amazing stuff. Our tech is just about getting there to do this in most areas, as far as I can see, and given a directed -thrust- (see what I did there) -we- could conceivably at least -notionalize- such a mission. now the WILL required to actually begin the functional H/W & S/W, who knows? But the science!
Outside the span of my lifetime, almost certainly, to finish the mission, but possibly within those just being born now, given chemical, ion, solar sail, and possibly nuclear powered drives, or something not yet known, though I suspect FTL either not doable, or a LONG way down the road, assuming -civilized- humanity lasts that long, which I find doubtful at present.
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1wasinAlpha
If that planet has any sort of atmosphere, even a postage stamp sized led bullet will vaporize in an instant even if it was going at the speed of light! So, don't worry Bill, we won't start an interstellar war, cause A. We won't be able reach the speed of light with that laser shooting tech and B. the postage stamp sized space craft is not made out of led
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If that planet has any sort of atmosphere, even a postage stamp sized led bullet will vaporize in an instant even if it was going at the speed of light! So, don't worry Bill, we won't start an interstellar war, cause A. We won't be able reach the speed of light with that laser shooting tech and B. the postage stamp sized space craft is not made out of led
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SkidMcmarxx
I-m sure Daniel is a wonderful person but he-s quite stiff and lifeless in front of the camera. Feels like he-s a robot reading a script. Maybe it-s nerves? He-s like that in all his interviews. Surely he-d be more useful in a different position! Nothing to be ashamed about! But this content could be improved with a warmer, looser interviewer.
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I-m sure Daniel is a wonderful person but he-s quite stiff and lifeless in front of the camera. Feels like he-s a robot reading a script. Maybe it-s nerves? He-s like that in all his interviews. Surely he-d be more useful in a different position! Nothing to be ashamed about! But this content could be improved with a warmer, looser interviewer.
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nostalgia!
So when we Master fusion technology to get fusion reactors why don't we build a massive spacecraft with massive engines and then they have solar sail materials inside and they shoot the thing with high powered lasers thus the craft itself propelled we could also use gyroscopic forces to steer The Craft it could be the real life USS Enterprise
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So when we Master fusion technology to get fusion reactors why don't we build a massive spacecraft with massive engines and then they have solar sail materials inside and they shoot the thing with high powered lasers thus the craft itself propelled we could also use gyroscopic forces to steer The Craft it could be the real life USS Enterprise
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Igor
Bill Nye, please construct the biggest and highest space elevator possible with the current technology available. I truly believe you and a couple of others if you put your mind into it you absolutely can do it, you absolutely should do it. This event will change this era of evolution in the next one, I believe so
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Bill Nye, please construct the biggest and highest space elevator possible with the current technology available. I truly believe you and a couple of others if you put your mind into it you absolutely can do it, you absolutely should do it. This event will change this era of evolution in the next one, I believe so
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Science
If light can push solar sail, can light push atmosphere toward dark side of the earth? Can light push solar wind to high speed?
If light can push solar sail, why laser beam cannot move a flame? Why Crookes' radiometer is not spinning in hard vacuum?
Why scientists lie all the time?
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If light can push solar sail, can light push atmosphere toward dark side of the earth? Can light push solar wind to high speed?
If light can push solar sail, why laser beam cannot move a flame? Why Crookes' radiometer is not spinning in hard vacuum?
Why scientists lie all the time?
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Steve
Guys, I need your help.
The basic principle is inertia, right? But how does lightsail 2 get any push by massless particles (photons? If the mass is 0, the whole inertia equation equals 0. how is it pushed by it.
Thanks guys, I appreciate your help understanding this.
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Guys, I need your help.
The basic principle is inertia, right? But how does lightsail 2 get any push by massless particles (photons? If the mass is 0, the whole inertia equation equals 0. how is it pushed by it.
Thanks guys, I appreciate your help understanding this.
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Sad
I am the founder of the planet. And it's got a human in it. and we humans will stand on proxima b in three to four hundred years time. I can see. Best of luck for future generations scientist only way to travel there by rocket and need refill ln planet Mars. ----
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I am the founder of the planet. And it's got a human in it. and we humans will stand on proxima b in three to four hundred years time. I can see. Best of luck for future generations scientist only way to travel there by rocket and need refill ln planet Mars. ----
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christopher
ancient egyptains believed to enter heaven your heart had to be lighter than a feather. a one gram soler sail 50 feet across to alpha centuri may be. did they know something we dont but are about to find out. aleiens may be? . skeatesybubbygoddess2021
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ancient egyptains believed to enter heaven your heart had to be lighter than a feather. a one gram soler sail 50 feet across to alpha centuri may be. did they know something we dont but are about to find out. aleiens may be? . skeatesybubbygoddess2021
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Dat
-Much thinner than human hair- why does that no longer sound extraordinary to me. I mean, I can now easily visualize and compare things in such small (micro) details now. It's so weird.
Edit: also Bill Nye's skin looks smooth. for a white guy at this age.
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-Much thinner than human hair- why does that no longer sound extraordinary to me. I mean, I can now easily visualize and compare things in such small (micro) details now. It's so weird.
Edit: also Bill Nye's skin looks smooth. for a white guy at this age.
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