As a child, I remember that I looked at the stars and dreamed of space vehicles that travel to distant worlds, and these classic pictures of rockets that flocked to unknown borders filled my imagination. But a mission to a black hole? Even the wildest science fiction seemed. At that time, these star corpses were the stuff of the theoretical physics books, mysterious objects that were so extreme that they devour the light itself. The idea that we could actually send something there, even a device that is smaller than a paper bracket, shows that we live at a time when the impossible is slowly possible.
Pictures of Apollo 11 Saturn against rocket start with astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin inspired me and many other children to travel from the stars (Credit: NASA)
Here is the idea; Astrophysicist Cosimo Bambi from Fudan University has described an ambitious plan for sending microscopic space vehicles to the next black hole. These “nanocrafts” would only weigh grams and consist of a microchip and a light sail that are powered by powerful earth base to reach a third of the speed of light. The mission would be a marathon, not a sprint. It would take about 70 years before the craft has reached a black hole of 20 to 25 light years. Another 20 years for the data to return to earth, which means that the entire mission period is around 80 to 100 years old.
Black holes represent the most extreme conditions in the universe in which our understanding of physics is pushed to its limits. This mission could answer fundamental questions: Does a black hole really have an event horizon that nothing can escape? Do the rules of physics change near black holes change? Is Einstein's theory of general theory of relativity under these extreme conditions? These are not just academic questions. Understanding how physics works in extreme environments could revolutionize our knowledge of space, time and the universe itself.
Image of the black hole in the middle of the Galaxy M87 (loan: Event Horizon Telescope)
Sounds right, but there are two important hurdles that stand in the way. First, scientists have to find a nearby black hole. Since black holes do not release light or reflect the light, they are practically invisible to telescopes. You can only see by seeing how they influence nearby stars or distort light. However, Bambi believes that new detection techniques could help localize a black hole within the next decade, possibly (and hopefully) only 20 to 25 light years from the earth. The second challenge is to build the technology. Traditional spaceships are far too heavy and slow for this trip. The proposed nanocrafts would have to survive in space for decades and at the same time maintain their ability to collect and transfer data.
“We don't have the technology now, but in 20 or 30 years we might. – Cosimo Bambi from Fudan University.
But he remains optimistic and points to past “impossible” successes. People said we would never find gravitational waves because they were too weak. We did it 100 years later. People thought we would never watch the shadows of black holes. Now, 50 years later, we have pictures of two.
While this mission sounds like the stuff of science fiction, it represents how scientific ambition crosses borders. Even if the full mission turns out to be impossible, the technologies developed on the way could revolutionize space research and our understanding of the universe. The idea that one day we could touch the edge of a black hole, even if it is covered with a device that is smaller than a paper clip, the incredible potential of human curiosity and ingenuity that extends into the deepest secrets of the universe.
Source: An interstellar mission to a black hole? Astrophysicists think it is possible.
