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NASA is preparing for the expedition of the century with ambitious plans to send a spacecraft to the closest star system, Alpha Centauri, in search of extraterrestrial life by 2069.
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Scientists are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the world’s first moon landing with a launch that’ll send modern technology hurtling through space until it reaches the three-star system, 34.9 trillion miles away.
The mission was first conceived after an Earth-like planet was seen orbiting Proxima Centauri, one of the system's stars. According to researchers, the planet resides in a "habitable zone" and runs a high possibility of harboring alien life forms.
The only downfall to this enormous undertaking is that even at a minimum of 10 percent of the speed of light, nearly 30 million meters per second, the full trip would still take 44 years. This means that the spacecraft would not arrive to Alpha Centauri until 2113.
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Scientists say that although current technology is not exactly at quite the desired level, they believe it will be developed enough by take-off to complete the mission.
Experts are investigating other options to accelerate the trip, one being shooting laser-powered probes into the abyss. Research suggests nuclear reactors or a collision between matter and antimatter may accomplish a quarter of the speed of light. Once the probes have entered the system, they will roam the planets for a sign of life.
"We'll be able to characterize the atmosphere," said JPL's Stacy Weinstein-Weiss, lead researcher in the initial report behind NASA's most recent endeavor. "We'll be able to see the planet, assuming it's not covered in clouds."
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