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This engineering video is structured around the experimental project to design a revolutionary ion propulsion engine, nearing the speed of light, for future spacecraft to travel interstellar distances. Faster Than Light (FTL) and speed of light travel are nothing new to science fiction, and advanced ion propulsion may reach near the speed of light, but interstellar travel is the term used for hypothetical piloted or unpiloted travel between stars or planetary systems. Interstellar travel will be much more difficult than interplanetary spaceflight; the distances between the planets in the Solar System are less than 30 astronomical units (AU)—whereas the distances between stars are typically hundreds of thousands of AU, and usually expressed in light-years. Because of the vastness of those distances, interstellar travel would require a high percentage of the speed of light, or huge travel time, lasting from decades to millennia or longer. The speeds required for interstellar travel in a human lifetime far exceed what current methods of spacecraft propulsion can provide. Even with a hypothetically perfectly efficient propulsion system, the kinetic energy corresponding to those speeds is enormous by today's standards of energy production. Moreover, collisions by the spacecraft with cosmic dust and gas can produce very dangerous effects both to passengers and the spacecraft itself. A number of strategies have been proposed to deal with these problems, ranging from giant arks that would carry entire societies and ecosystems, to microscopic space probes. Many different spacecraft propulsion systems have been proposed to give spacecraft the required speeds, including nuclear propulsion, beam-powered propulsion, and methods based on speculative physics. For both piloted and unpiloted interstellar travel, considerable technological and economic challenges need to be met. Even the most optimistic views about interstellar travel see it as only being feasible decades from now—the more common view is that it is a century or more away. However, in spite of the challenges, if interstellar travel should ever be realized, then a wide range of scientific benefits can be expected. Most interstellar travel concepts require a developed space logistics system capable of moving millions of metric tons to a construction / operating location, and most would require gigawatt scale power for construction or power (such as Star Wisp or Light Sail type concepts). Such a system could grow organically if space-based solar power became a significant component of Earth's energy mix. Consumer demand for a multi-terrawatt system would automatically create the necessary multi-million metric ton/year logistical system. For more information on this NASA subject, please visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar_travel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FTL:_Faster_Than_Light FOLLOW on: https://www.facebook.com/documentarytube.net https://twitter.com/DocArchive Engineering Marvels Full Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfnXs03FA5s&list=PLCIsViWU6sLkfBjjgQwP3dg3yeYbq5GQ-