Alpha Centauri and/or bust!

Curiouser and curiouser...   (PD)

In the 20^th century, we reached for the moon.  In the 21^st, we’ll be reaching for the stars.  Actually, three stars in particular:  Centauri A, Centauri B and Proxima Centauri.

NASA aims to reach Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to our own, by the year 2113.  Since this journey would take a minimum of 44 years, the spacecraft would launch in 2069 (100 years after the first moon landing).

Why the keen interest in another star system when we hardly even know our own?  Scientists believe that Alpha Centauri “almost certainly” harbors “small Earth-like planets.”  Where there are Earth-like planets, there may also be Earth-like life.  Curiosity about such is the driving force behind this stellar goal.

Curiosity has been known to kill cats.  Hopefully, it will not also kill humanity.

Resources

http://www.mirror.co.uk/science/nasa-plans-mission-alpha-centauri-11726452

Copyright December 28, 2017 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved