How would you build an interstellar spacecraft?
In principle, it is not extremely difficult to construct an inter -star spacecraft: we have already earned five, we were pioneer 10 , pioneer 11 , voyager 1 , voyager 2 and New horizons . All these space probes move at the solar system at escape speeds and one day will achieve other star systems.
The problem with these crafts practical is that they all require millions of years to achieve these star systems. Although these probes will not be examined by other stars in the near future, some of them, especially Voyager 2, are already sending back data on the interface between our solar wind (heliosphere) and diffusion interstellar media.
If you want to build an interstellar spacecraft that reaches its target star in a reasonable time, say, 50 years, then it requires some form of drive significantly stronger than chemical missiles that are extremely inefficient. Possible sources include nuclear, in react variantsARO for pulse drive and nuclear core of nuclear gas, solar sail, electromagnetic launchers and antimatter drive systems. Although anti -fighting drive and EM launchers would require more sophisticated technology than we are now, the possibilities of nuclear and solar sails are within the reach of our current technology.
In the age of 70, the British interplanetary company conducted a detailed study of interstellar design of the probe that could get to Bernard's star (6 bright years away) in just fifty years. This interstellar design of the probe used nuclear pulses, which means that it headed for the atomic bombs for itself, allowing them to transfer part of their energy to the push plates, which would speed up the vessel forward. Based on their calculations, the probe could reach a speed of 10% of light speed. This is around the limit for nuclear drive.
with antimatter or electromagnetic launchers that couldy be closer to the light. Technical challenges for antimatter include production in the necessary quantities (we can only produce antimatter picograms today for millions of dollars) and adequately contain it. Prompts for electromagnetic launchers provide the necessary energy (in the PETAWATT range) and the length (hundreds of kilometers) to initiate interstellar probe to almost the speed of light.