15. Will we be able to travel from planet to planet and someday to the outer reaches of our solar system? (A K2S Question)
From The Space Library
Revision as of 17:47, 11 June 2014
Traveling out of the solar system is harder, because other stars are so much farther away than planets. Some ideas for reaching other stars include light sails that might be pushed by laser beams fired from the Moon, where solar electrical power can be generated. A continuous push from the laser banks could accelerate a light sail spacecraft to a substantial fraction of the speed of light. Going at near light-speed is important, because the speed of light is the ultimate speed limit in the Universe. Light takes several years to reach the nearest stars, so if you want your trip to take one or two dozen years, you need to go close to light-speed. Ordinary rocket speed would take many centuries to reach other stars.
Answer provided by David Gump & Gary Hudson
Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer
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