Interesting

Stephen Hawking Joins Bid To Seek Life With Tiny Spacecraft

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 12 Apr, 2016 12:39 PM

NEW YORK — An Internet investor has enlisted famed physicist Stephen Hawking and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to help him with a futuristic plan for seeking life in outer space.

Yuri Milner announced the $100 million project Tuesday. It's aimed at establishing the feasibility of sending a swarm of tiny spacecraft, each weighing far less than an ounce, to the Alpha Centuri star system.

Powered by energy from a huge, Earth-based laser, the spacecraft would fly at about one-fifth the speed of light. Their target would be a planet with potential for holding life. No such planet has been discovered yet at Alpha Centuri, but experts say one may lurk there.

The spacecraft would take 20 years to reach the star system, where they would make observations and send back data.

Prev Next

MORE Interesting ARTICLES

Discovery Of Starving Dog In Maple Ridge, B.C., Leads To Animal Cruelty Charges

The owner of an emaciated husky in Maple Ridge, B.C., that ate gravel to try to stay alive faces two charges of animal cruelty.

Discovery Of Starving Dog In Maple Ridge, B.C., Leads To Animal Cruelty Charges

Lone Raccoon Makes Brief Appearance On Toronto Subway, Causes Delay

Toronto Transit Commission spokesman Brad Ross says the raccoon was first spotted at around 8 a.m. on a southbound train heading towards Spadina Station, one of the hubs connecting Toronto's two main subway lines.

Lone Raccoon Makes Brief Appearance On Toronto Subway, Causes Delay

Lax Border Checks Allow Illegal Drugs To Slip Undetected Out Of Canada: Auditor

The Canada Border Services Agency is not keeping a close enough eye on exports, causing high-risk shipments — including illegal drugs and stolen cars — to leave the country undetected, auditor general Michael Ferguson says.

Lax Border Checks Allow Illegal Drugs To Slip Undetected Out Of Canada: Auditor

Feel 'Like A Mother-in-law' When Guidance Sought, Says Pope Francis

Pope Francis quipped that he feels "rather like a mother-in-law" when called upon to give guidance.

Feel 'Like A Mother-in-law' When Guidance Sought, Says Pope Francis

Cracking The Yolk: An In-Depth Look At How Eggs Are Sourced In Canada

More than 90 per cent of the country's roughly 1,000 registered commercial egg-producing farms keep their hens in conventional housing, said Peter Clarke, the chairman of Egg Farmers Canada.

Cracking The Yolk: An In-Depth Look At How Eggs Are Sourced In Canada

Czechs, World's Top Beer Drinkers, May Get Even Cheaper Brew

The Czechs, the biggest beer consumers in the world, could soon have a reason to drink even more after the finance minister proposed lowering tax on the drink by more than half.