A spacecraft is being designed that will travel so far for decades. It will reach areas of space where the Sun has no influence and further into the interstellar region.
Astronomers at the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University have published a design for the probe, which will remain alive for the next 50 to 100 years.
"This spacecraft will fly the farthest and fastest, will reach the space between us and neighboring stars, discovering areas that have never been visited," said the astronomers quoted us from India Today.
Particles from the Sun or often called the solar wind, can reach three times the distance between the Sun and Pluto. Beyond that, the particle has no effect, so the area known as the interstellar medium begins.
Well, this vehicle will explore up to that area. The launch date is likely to be between 2036 and 2042. The fuel is supplied by miniature nuclear plants called Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs).
After operating for about 50 years and reaching a distance of 1,000 astronomical units from the Sun, the craft will still continue to advance into the interstellar or interstellar medium.
Estimated cost is USD 1.62 billion, when launched later it will get to the Moon's orbit in just 6.5 hours and get to Jupiter in 7 months. With special maneuvers, the gravity of Jupiter will help it shoot so powerfully that it can reach a distance of 1 billion kilometers per year.
There have been several NASA spacecraft that have reached such great distances, for example Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. However, future aircraft are more sophisticated and will focus on research on what phenomena occur in interstellar space.
