![PROJECT DRAGONFLY](https://cdn.magzter.com/1493279487/1718115828/articles/gFHPCQNT_1719988239513/PROJECT-DRAGONFLY.jpg)
The prospect of sending probes on an interstellar mission is often accompanied by thoughts of high costs, decades of planning and large spacecraft. That’s not necessarily the case, though, according to the Institute for Interstellar Studies (i4is), whose goal is to ultimately take humanity out beyond the Solar System. “We believe it’s possible to actually launch probes into deep space, whether it’s outside the Kuiper Belt, into the Oort Cloud or beyond, within the next 10 to 20 years,” Kelvin Long, the executive director of i4is, tells All About Space.
i4is has proposed a spacecraft called Project Dragonfly. This innovative vessel would consist of a central hub that contains all the instrumentation, and in front of it would unfurl a large, thin sail made of material such as mylar, aluminium or graphene. Inside the central hub would be a laser, which would fire upon the sail. The impact of photons on the sail would propel the spacecraft to great speeds, possibly up to ten per cent the speed of light, to make unmanned interstellar travel a more realistic proposition.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Issue 157 من All About Space UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Issue 157 من All About Space UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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LONG AGO, A LAKE ON MARS MAY HAVE BEEN SPRAWLING WITH MICROBES
Curiosity discovered manganese oxide in bedrock in a Martian region that may have been a shoreline billions of years ago
![MOON TOUR HELL](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15256/1729654/ht0gO_mHi1719993459712/MOON-TOUR-HELL.jpg)
MOON TOUR HELL
Finding this fascinating crater isnt as hard as its name suggests...
![THIS MONTH'S PLANETS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15256/1729654/-7K-H52mO1719993250345/THIS-MONTHS-PLANETS.jpg)
THIS MONTH'S PLANETS
Most of the planets are tricky targets this month, but our guide will help you locate them
![UNIVERSE BEFORE TIME](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15256/1729654/cHFLjjJOS1719991851680/UNIVERSE-BEFORE-TIME.jpg)
UNIVERSE BEFORE TIME
Could the existence of a mirror-image cosmos before the Big Bang solve some of the biggest mysteries in astronomy?
![CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15256/1729654/Se3Bbyf0G1719991384386/CLIMATE-CHANGE-IN-THE-SOLAR-SYSTEM.jpg)
CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Alongside Earth, our planetary neighbourhood is changing, but it’s not for the better…
![Stars give tiny planets a gravitational 'squeeze' to strip away their atmospheres](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15256/1729654/QMnZ5oBmH1719991224194/STARS-GIVE-TINY-PLANETS-A-GRAVITATIONAL-SQUEEZE-TO-STRIP-AWAY-THEIR-ATMOSPHERES.jpg)
Stars give tiny planets a gravitational 'squeeze' to strip away their atmospheres
A scientist has learned more about the violent processes that rip atmospheres away from planets, finding that squashing and squeezing by a parent star can contribute to this process.
![The Milky Way's halo is filled with ‘magnetic doughnuts' as wide as 100,000 light years](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15256/1729654/zhhazHOyf1719991166108/THE-MILKY-WAYS-HALO-IS-FILLED-WITH-MAGNETIC-DOUGHNUTS-AS-WIDE-AS-100000-LIGHT-YEARS.jpg)
The Milky Way's halo is filled with ‘magnetic doughnuts' as wide as 100,000 light years
The outer halo of the Milky Way is filled with magnetic fields that take the shape of vast doughnuts with diameters ranging from 12,000 to 100,000 light years, with the heart of our galaxy at their centre.
![The Pentagon wants the commercial space reserve to support military satellites in orbit](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15256/1729654/RRDjAi68P1719991027212/THE-PENTAGON-WANTS-THE-COMMERCIAL-SPACE-RESERVE-TO-SUPPORT-MILITARY-SATELLITES-IN-ORBIT.jpg)
The Pentagon wants the commercial space reserve to support military satellites in orbit
The US Department of Defense is developing a plan to use the ever-growing American commercial space industry for national security purposes.
![DOES A COSMIC 'GLITCH' IN GRAVITY CHALLENGE ALBERT EINSTEIN'S GREATEST THEORY?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15256/1729654/qd-Mswgsf1719990737533/DOES-A-COSMIC-GLITCH-IN-GRAVITY-CHALLENGE-ALBERT-EINSTEINS-GREATEST-THEORY.jpg)
DOES A COSMIC 'GLITCH' IN GRAVITY CHALLENGE ALBERT EINSTEIN'S GREATEST THEORY?
Gravity changes once you reach a cosmic scale
![DEEP SKY CHALLENGE : STELLAR TREASURES OF THE ARCHER AND SCORPION](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15256/1729654/kQkKImKfQ1719990358327/DEEP-SKY-CHALLENGE-STELLAR-TREASURES-OF-THE-ARCHER-AND-SCORPION.jpg)
DEEP SKY CHALLENGE : STELLAR TREASURES OF THE ARCHER AND SCORPION
Summer skies are stuffed full of amazing objects for your telescope - if you're prepared to stay up late