Jon Schrage

This activity uses the wild physics of the Breakthrough: Starshot initiative to teach about the Laws of Motion and the incredible challenges of interstellar travel. I have used this as a short lab, but usually this is just a classroom activity or a homework in my Astronomy class. If you aren't familiar with it, Breakthrough: Starshot proposes sending a very small (30 g) spacecraft to the nearest star system, using a solar sail for propulsion. How practical is this? How great is the accelerat