Traveling at 20% The Speed of Light: Scientists Demonstrate ‘Practical’ Light Sails to Explore the Universe

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The capabilities of modern space exploration are severely limited by the potential of chemical and ion engines, making reaching distant stars an impossible task in the foreseeable future. Light sails, propelled by the energy of powerful lasers, are being considered as a promising solution, but their implementation has long been hampered by the lack of materials with the necessary physical properties. A team of scientists from Tuskegee University…