12% of the speed of light of a century-old starship.

The "Centennial Starship" project can be regarded as a continuation of the British "Daedalus Plan" in the 1970s. From 1973 to 1978, the "Daedalus Plan" initiated by the British Planetary Society discussed the possibility of interstellar travel, and thought that, in theory, it is entirely possible for human beings to travel in their lifetime by using the technology now or in the next few decades. "Daedalus Project" researchers also designed an interstellar travel spacecraft. According to the design, it weighs 50,000 tons, is driven by nuclear fusion energy, and can fly at a high speed at the speed of 12%. At this speed, it only takes about 50 years for humans to reach the closest star system to the solar system-Alpha Centauri, which is about 4.22 light years away from the Earth.

At present, the difficulty of interstellar travel is beyond imagination If you want to fly to Alpha, the fastest aircraft in the solar system, the "Voyager 1" unmanned space probe with a speed of more than 60,000 kilometers per hour will fly continuously for at least 70,000 years.

12% of the speed of light is about 36,000 km/s. If it is greater than the N-th cosmic speed, that is, the absolute speed of the earth in the universe, it is possible to surpass the earth's time and space, cross the unknown time and space, and lose all contact with us.

First Exploration: Settle on Mars in 2030

Adam crull, the cooperative unit of the "Centennial Starship" project and the head of the American Icarus Interstellar Organization, said that their first goal was Mars, or two satellites of Mars. The two major challenges of the plan are the new propulsion system and the life support system to settle on Mars. "We will strive to build a starship and feasible interstellar technology that will last for a hundred years in space, and eventually all mankind will benefit."

Peter Wall Walden, director of Ames Research Center, said that four astronauts are expected to be sent to Mars in 2030. It will take about nine months to fly, even if the rocket technology is improved, it will take four months. NASA began to recruit volunteer astronauts to Mars for the Centennial Starship program. Volunteers will settle on Mars and become pioneers of human migration to other planets in the future.

The "Centennial Starship" project can be regarded as a continuation of the British "Daedalus Plan" in the 1970s. From 1973 to 1978, the Daedalus Project initiated by the British Planetary Society explored the possibility of interstellar travel. The researchers also designed an interstellar travel spaceship. According to the design, it weighs 50,000 tons, is driven by nuclear fusion energy, and can fly at a high speed at the speed of 12%. At this rate, it will take about 50 years for humans to reach the closest star system to the solar system-Alpha Centauri, which is about 4.22 light years away from the Earth.