Is it Possible for Us to travel to Proxima Centauri?

 Is it Possible for Us to travel to Proxima Centauri?

The prospects of travelling to Proxima Centauri are tantalising yet overwhelming. After all, it is one of the closest stars to Earth, at a distance of 4.3 light years away. While our space exploration mission have extended farther than ever before, reaching Proxima Centauri still feels far from reach. But with advances in rocket science, can we create a vehicle that will be able to overcome such an immense obstacle? 

For starters, it’s important to realise just how vastly impressive interstellar travel truly is. It takes light from Proxima Centauri 4.3 years to reach us here on Earth, travelling at a speed of 299,792 kilometres per second. This is significantly faster than any spacecraft humankind has ever sent away. As such, making a rocket to travel four lightyears would be by far our most ambitious undertaking yet.

The biggest obstacle in making an interstellar rocket is propelling it at speeds faster than any spacecraft we’ve ever sent. Rockets that travel past Earth’s atmosphere already travel at a substantial speed, and to send them even faster will require finding a source of incredible energy. Nuclear-fission, which is a process that releases energy by splitting apart atoms, is the most realistic source. With nuclear-fission as a fuel source, a rocket could be build that could push spacecraft past the 54,000 km/s mark that’s needed to reach Proxima Centauri in a Human lifetime.

Despite these advances, there are a few more issues that need to be grappled with. Primarily, radiation. Space is full of high-energy particles that could shred apart a new rocket that is powered by nuclear-fission. Advances in protective and shielding materials will need to be made in order to make interstellar travel possible.

On top of that, the craft itself would need to be incredibly light and resilient. Having enough space to store enough supplies, food, and other essential needs as well as enough fuel for a four-year journey pose a tall task. High-efficiency and lightweight materials would need to be crafted that could withstand the trials of space travel.

We must also consider the psychological aspect at hand. Traveling to Proxima Centauri would require such a long-term mission that those partaking likely wouldn’t return home in their lifetime. Given that no one has ever been to Proxima Centauri, this would mean not knowing what to expect, and would require a special kind of bravery to lift off.

At long last, it is important to remember the immense cost involved in creating interstellar rockets. Developing such technology is incredibly expensive, and unless it would bring a large return on investment, governments are unlikely to support it.

With all obstacles and challenges aside, it is certainly possible to build a rocket to travel to Proxima Centauri. While progress still needs to be made, it gives us all immense optimism to think