Fermi Explorer

Humanity's first mission to Alpha Centauri (the Fermi Explorer) could launch by 2029 (approximately): youtube.com/watch?v=Wh7pFfMG… Travel time is roughly 80,000 years. Ultimate verification that the mission actually reaches its target (the Alpha Centauri system) is "somewhat inconvenient".

It troubles me greatly that we do not yet see any sign of aliens

The Voyagers cost billions in today's money and were never aimed at a star. Fermi Explorer is aiming for Alpha Centauri on about $15M. 80,000 years from now, even silent, it will still be heading somewhere. Here is my new article @PhilipJohnston #SpaceTech #FermiExplorer @FermiExplorer @Starcloud_

Our civilization would be winning wondrously if we are exploring the galaxy with Von Neumann probes by 2100! Larry Page might be right. He has correctly predicted many things.

More money, more time and flying less will not make spaceflight safer or make us more effective at achieving our objectives. We are done defending the status quo. We are not going to compromise NASA’s effectiveness or capability trying to appease every constituency and, in the process, satisfy no one. We are here for the mission, focused on executing @POTUS’ national space policy, achieving the objectives entrusted to us and delivering the kind of world-changing headlines worthy of America’s space program.

Let's go! I am beyond excited to see this level of ambition coming up. We are entering our great ambitions era of the 21st century. @PhilipJohnston , excited to see where this goes!

78,000 years! That is how long it will take for a mission designed by the team at @FermiExplorer. But this isn't any ordinary mission. It is going out towards our first star, Alpha Centauri. So when Philip Johnston, founder of Fermi Explorer, announced this once in a lifetime mission, I HAD TO bring him on the show. The Fermi Explorer Mission has a goal of launching a minimum viable spacecraft to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system, leaving in 3 years and arriving in around 80,000 years. Chapters 📌: A 78,000-year journey Fermi Explorer’s mission to Alpha Centauri The Fermi paradox and humanity’s future The Voyager inspiration Spacecraft design, power, and propulsion The Oberth effect, explained First Resonance (sponsor) Solar escape and Jupiter gravity assists The $10–15 million mission estimate Communicating from deep space Science, art, and messages from children The team and potential collaborators A community effort: how to get involved We are proud to partner with First Resonance, the sponsor of today's video. Learn more about First Resonance here: hubs.ly/Q04Cd2s50 Learn more about how you can get involved in the Fermi Explorer mission here: fermiexplorer.org/

Everyone should have at least a few penchants

Once we have the telescopes to look, signs of life in the galaxy will be more frequent than we expect. For this Forecast 2050 we discuss looking up to the stars for the sparks of life that might help us answer the question that has plagued humanity for centuries. Are we alone out here? Laura Kreidberg, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, thinks that we are within 30 years of finding out whether humanity is all alone in the universe. Appointed at the age of 30, Laura is one of the youngest directors in the history of the Max Planck Society. Her work uses the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes to explore the atmospheres of planets orbiting distant stars. Read more about the science behind this in the @SkyandTelescope article linked below. We discuss: - How astronomers study exoplanet atmospheres, including measuring wind speed. - The race to find the first exomoon. - Why Laura would bet more than a bottle of wine that Mars and Venus once had life. - The smoking gun evidence for alien life. - The Fermi Paradox & whether the universe is indifferent to our presence. - Science as soft power on the world stage. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 3:10 The Atmospheres of Other Worlds 8:14 In Astronomy, Bigger is Better 10:50 Earth-like Planets 20:04 The Huge Variety of Exoplanets 26:03 Science Communication 27:30 Intelligence is Not Evolutionary Favorable 33:30 Signs of Life on Exoplanets 40:19 Discovering Aliens in 30 Years 45:44 Science as Soft Power