The recent confirmation of an atmosphere on the rocky exoplanet LHS 1140b has once again raised the question of whether we will ever be able to study such worlds not only through telescopes but also up close, writes Phys.org, citing a story from The Conversation. The planet is located in the habitable zone of a red dwarf star approximately 48 light-years from Earth.
Mediastock.rf
The main hope lies not in large spacecraft, but in miniature probes. Small craft are easier to accelerate to enormous speeds, and advances in cameras and sensors are already allowing the creation of very compact instruments.
One of the most discussed options is a light sail. A thin reflective membrane can be accelerated by a powerful laser beam: photons impart momentum to it, allowing the craft to gain speed without its own fuel. Interstellar travel would require a laser system with a power of tens of gigawatts, but a probe could reach 10-20% the speed of light.
The downside is that such a spacecraft would be nearly impossible to slow down. It would fly through an alien star system in a few days, quickly collect data, and then transmit it very slowly to Earth.
A more immediate step is solar sails, which use solar radiation pressure. They have already been tested in orbit, and in the future, they could help study comets and other hard-to-reach objects in the Solar System.
About the Author
