Journey to Alpha Centauri

Alpha Centauri may be the closest star system to us, but reaching it will be the voyage of a lifetime.
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Credits:
Journey to Alpha Centauri
Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur
Episode 383, February 23, 2023
Written, Produced & Narrated by Isaac Arthur
Editors:
Briana Brownell
Darius Said
David McFarlane
Graphics:
Jeremy Jozwik
LegionTech Studios
Rapid Thrash
Sergio Botero
Stephen Huck
Udo Schroeter
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound epidemicsound.com/creator
Markus Junnikkala, "Hail the Victorious Dead", "A Memory of Earth"
Stellardrone, "Red Giant", "Ultra Deep Field"
Sergey Cheremisinov, "Labyrinth", "Forgotten Stars"
Taras Harkavyi, "Alpha and..."

[@isaacarthurSFIA]

This video ended up having to get reloaded for missing the entire end segments, which is why it came out at 9, got yanked at 10, and just got back up now at 1pm EST :) KZbin doesn't let you replace videos so everyone's original comments are lost, and we're probably also gonna get beat up by the YT algorithm, so if you've spare time, we'd appreciate a 'rewatch' to help recoup those lost views. Sorry to everyone who got caught mid-episode when we took it down.

[@genkidamatrunks6759]

Rewatch commencing now!

[@TheVoiceOfReason93]

Don't worry, your videos are always a blast to watch AND rewatch! Minor nitpicking: Subtitles are missing. Not having problems listening to your narration myself, but not so sure about the others.

[@isaacarthurSFIA]

@@TheVoiceOfReason93 Oh they're still loading, youtube is slow as snot about them, its why these videos usually get loaded here a week or two in advance. :)

[@rairaur2234]

Guess it's time to 'accidentally' leave the video playing on my phone a few times ;)

[@Alemiha]

@@rairaur2234Loop is an option but I think the algorithm is set to catch these, still doing it.

[@InterstellarKnowledge]

Hello Mr. Isaac Arthur… I am Benji Still. I have been watching your channel since 2016, and to my knowledge, I have watched every single one of your videos! With my favourite being “Outward Bound: Colonizing Alpha Centauri” You have been a major part of my childhood, and without you I can guarantee I would have not gotten in to Science, Aerospace, the study of Exoplanets and Astronomy. So I would like to thank you for everything. Sincerely, Benji Still.

[@isaacarthurSFIA]

Thanks Benji, sorry for the delay replying :)

[@johnlynch1037]

Best time of the week. Science futurism with my 8 year old son who loves your weekly programmes. Many thanks Isaac!!!!

[@cacogenicist]

He must be a smart kid. Hmm, I have a nephew, just a little older, who is presently fascinated by the evolutionary dynamics of island gigantism and dwarfism. I reckon he has the requisite nerdiness to appreciate this channel. :) Time to send him a link.

[@neanda]

@@cacogenicist yeah do it man, Issacs vids are just so cool to watch or just hear, info is cool

[@bostonmetalclips]

If only I had this at 8! I stared at the same few pictures in an out of date encyclopedia. Awesome for your son 😺💫

[@cropunisher5879]

You're great dad

[@blackthorne-rose]

science FICTION futurism... but still fun.

[@stainlesssteelfox1]

This reminds me of something from a book by the incomparable Terry Pratchett, 'Only You Can Save Mankind.' 'Wobbler had written an actual computer program like this once. It was called _Journey to Alpha Centuri_ . It was a screen with some dots on it. Because, he said, it happened in _real time_ which no-one had ever heard of until computers. He'd seen on TV that it took three thousand years to get to Alpha Centauri. He had written it so that if anyone kept their computer on for three thousand years , they'd be rewarded by a little dot appearing in the middle of the screen, and then a message saying, "Welcone to Alpha Centauri. Now go home".'

[@KlaxontheImpailr]

Like Desert Bus 😂🎉

[@jiminfla5951]

The really depressing part of this video is knowing that every single person that watches it will never know if any of this is even possible....

[@Domitiable]

Always exciting to start my day with one of your vids. Thanks for another great one!

[@JonahRoyes]

I Can't wait to finish this one, we love you Isaac 🙏🏻❤️

[@BloodravenRivers]

i truly love your content topics, and how much detail you go into in not just the actual physical difficulties but the logistics and economic challenges along with much of the the tech is hypothetical but its not beyond the limits of our forseable future capabilities. thank you for your hard work man i really enjoy your videos.

[@punkrockstuff]

Thanks for the continually great content Isaac! You and Anton Petrov are my favorites when it comes to sciency stuff

[@user-pf5xq3lq8i]

Sabine is paid puppet pushing global warming lies. No thanks.

[@edthoreum7625]

@@davidhand9721 yet Anton gives his sources which makes me continue on what ever he missed?

[@mizzshortie907]

Can’t wait to keep rewatching this for days to weeks to come! I honestly just keep his videos on all night while I am getting ready for bed and falling asleep ❤ gives me peaceful dreams

[@terriblecoughing4767]

A handsome young Cyborg named Ace, Wooed women at every base, But once ladies glanced at His special enhancement They vanished with nary a trace. ~ Barracks Graffiti, Sparta Command

[@rickdeckard7098]

Wait till he finds out about Deirdre's Network Node!

[@tillerzeit]

Alpha Centauri brings back memories of Elite Dangerous and its "1:1 scale of the Milky Way" and Hutton orbital that was an hour long in game flight for a mug. Sometimes it's the journey that counts.

[@corbynite2004]

I loved Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri! Thanks for another great episode

[@VorenusXIII]

"Please don't go. The drones need you. They look up to you."

[@corbynite2004]

@@VorenusXIII XD

[@certaindeath7776]

i still have it on my computer... its basically the only game, that i had on every computer i owned

[@viperswhip]

@@certaindeath7776 You haven't also played Vampire Bloodlines?

[@certaindeath7776]

@@viperswhip nah, i was more into gothic at that time, or morrowind

[@Jackson09]

Issac my friend, no worries, your content is always great, science based in the speculation (for the most part), so It's all good. Your show has helped me throw many dark types this past 13 months, I've had 3 surgeries on the same right leg, so thank you and your production crew. More than you all may ever realize. Keep up the great thought provoking work. 👍💯

[@nicholasperry2380]

@Jackson2009 I feel for you Friend. October 1987 saw me facing the same also my right leg. Rehab takes time but making the effort will bring much better results. It won't be the same after but you can make the best of things. I* wish you a Good Life.

[@nathaniellasley3028]

I've enjoyed all your videos but this one is the best yet. Thank you for your excellent work

[@TheWadetube]

There is a paradoxical situation with starting out a voyage to another star system when you are first able to attempt it and that is that the next generation of star ship will pass you about half way there and set up shop only to discover the third generation star ship is already there with crops in the field. It may not be the first to attempt the journey that arrive first, but the second or even third group with faster ships. Hopefully each new iteration would drop off technology to the slower ship to help them speed up. Some of it may be software related or a new configuration of an existing engine design or a simple new printed part from a better alloy discovered back on earth. This is why my design of an interstellar cruiser has it's own research and Development department and fabrication labs and materials to build with in situ.

[@cannonfodder4376]

Another week and another fantastic SFIA video. Wonderful work Isaac.

[@taco5225]

Excellent video as always! Always a treat to see you in my notifications.

[@chasjetty8729]

Thank you for this one. This will probably be my favorite of your productions. Thanks again friend.

[@richardaitkenhead]

Love how realistic your content is and that lisp... makes your voice so easy to listen too, im not sure how u feel about it but its a gift not a disability.

[@scottgalbraith7461]

It seems like we'd eventually adapt to artificial habitats within the solar system by the time we're ready to reach another star. I find this ironic because we'd be alot less dependant on finding a good match for a planet anyway.

[@jackesioto]

It depends. There's bound to be some people prefering living on planets and others that prefer to live on spacesteads like ONeill cylinders and Stanford toruses.

[@scottgalbraith7461]

@@jackesioto sure but if we have to terraform to reach habitability we're talking centuries before we can move in. We might as well look for unicorn planets while learning to live in a tin can.

[@rairaur2234]

What a coincidence! Just today I rewatched the "Colonizing Alpha Centauri" video, and now this comes out!

[@kylerak2]

me too!

[@uncleanunicorn4571]

I like the idea of a fleet of ships, or one really epic gigantic ship bigger than a modern metro area, so teenagers born during the voyage can already feel like they're at home, and still have career choices.

[@PeteKellyHistory]

Alpha Centauri is also one of my favourite games ever. Absolutely phenomenal

[@rexx9496]

Just a few nights ago I was looking for content on possible expeditions to alpha centauri and then I see this! Right on time!

[@ussenterprise3156]

I would like to Journey to Alpha Centauri, Its sad that there is little frontier areas on Earth these days

[@54032Zepol]

We can build like domed cities or subterranean shelters to escape the surface elements until the terraforming is done

[@TraditionalAnglican]

Or you can Paraterraform parts of a planet (like Vales Marineris on Mars)…

[@HANGING_SILVER]

I love watching and listening to your videos when im sick and have trouble sleeping, ive been unwell on and off for a few months now due to my last job and these vids have been such a joy to watch. Love the content.

[@mi6597]

Hope you doing well now. Isaac is truly doing almighty's work.

[@HANGING_SILVER]

@@mi6597 thanks for your comment, im generally doing better over the last few weeks, nothing too bad thankfully. Yeah isaac is really doing a great thing with his channel, i always look forward to his upcoming videos.

[@dryayo6716]

love your content keep up the great work!!

[@user-nz6dx2fj6h]

Always a pleasure watching Isaacs's videos.

[@andrewsallans589]

Thanks for making sure to get a good video out! Cant wait to see it

[@rRekko]

Man i was scared for a second when i clicked the notif to watch the vid and it just wasn't there. I'm always waiting for the next video, keeps my dreams about space and future alive and i just absolutely love them.

[@spacechannelfiver]

I love love love these videos. I’m partially deaf and have a lot of trouble following them so would recommend putting the subtitles on.

[@1003196110031961]

Love the products you put out. So damd well thought out.

[@ventusvindictus]

An excellent excuse to watch it again.

[@curtisalanmcgee]

Finally. I look forward to this stuff every week. How them kids of yours doing bro?

[@dumitrulangham1721]

😮❤❤ I find this subject fascinating! I think hopefully the star break through project will be first lay down the foundation of real interplanetary travel!

[@christadauria4362]

It’s a very good idea as I am so interested about future space and planetary exploration missions in intergalactic journeys in the universe. Then I would like to watch more videos in further.❤

[@nickifiresnow1931]

Another Great Video.... I love this topic!!!

[@katm9877]

Some ideas: 1) we don't need fusion ignition for the drive itself, we just need to push plasma out the exhaust. A startup is already planning such a drive, with a tech demo planned within this decade. 2) Following from 1), why are we spending any time on Orion? Whether this mission comes late 21st century or somewhere in 22nd, we'll almost certainly have fusion by then.

[@ricktoconnor]

Developing multiple propulsion methods is better than going Hail Mary on one path only. Its not just a matter of throwing more money or thinking power into an idea like an RTS research tree... if that were the case then we should already have fusion now. It's not due to a lack of money the breakthroughs arent there yet... Pulse propulsion's great benefit is high thrust for comparatively minor fuel/mass investment, which is valuable for boosting large payloads, or simply moving gigantic objects like the envisioned colony ships discussed in this episode. VASIMIR or the various plasma/ion drives as currently envisioned are simply too weak to rapidly accelerate such gigantic vessels; there's a reason all the prototypes and concepts using them in real life are for comparatively small satellites - which is where their primary advantage is: fuel efficiency for small objects. I don't think that startup or any company's gonna change that unless they're talking drives with sci-fi power levels.

[@TheEvilmooseofdoom]

Push plasma? Sure.. where we get that plasma from is the question. And as for Fusion, the most likely source of fusion propulsion will be an Orion using fusion bombs.

[@urnad12345]

Just wanted to say that I love the old Arabic name for Rijl Qanṭūris And I’m very happy you actually brought up the actual names of the stars!

[@aceundead4750]

Idk what all this hullabaloo about how long it'll take to get to Alpha Centauri is for, all i did was watch this video and was transoorted there.

[@jc1513]

Just watched one of your old videos. Your speech therapy is really paying off! Great job!!

[@elfinkenshi6437]

Funny how I managed to see both the original and reupload in mere seconds after they appeared.

[@noblenoisii7283]

Notif gang

[@JosephMurphyRevised]

the time scales are unimaginable to most. but your explanation helps put it in perspective, I always wonder about the middle generations, the book end generations have either the launch or the colonization as temporal events, but second, 3rd, or 4th generations have only stories or dreams to fuel their drive, given "normal" generations in duration.

[@ruperterskin2117]

Right on. Thanks for sharing.

[@SevenInchesOfSn0w]

Round 2. Great episode as always

[@sixtenwidlund4258]

The best series on the internet!

[@okieinexile]

I was extremely fond of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri too. Great stuff.

[@bebotmaat1557]

Who is Zid Meiers?

[@okieinexile]

@@bebotmaat1557 Sid Meiers is a legendary game designer.

[@spectator7216]

We’ll need the ISV Venture Star from Avatar.

[@doomslayer7719]

One more comment / question: How would you get Noah's Ark to Alpha Centauri? - And don't rock your new boat. That is worth adding, as so many would not be as quickly inclined to not jeopardize the new target star system. Before you recoil, that's basically a version of what you're intending to do, just removing from the new vessel the ones you will hopefully know by then that you won't need.

[@HeIsAnAli]

_Two by two, Sol saw them through on Terra's giant space-faring zoos._

[@Grizabeebles]

Now I'm asking myself - what happens if we get to Alpha Centauri and discover a dead civilization and no resources?

[@kenwelch198]

When the world/national news gets to be too much to take, it's so refreshing to come to SFIA for positive material on where we are going!

[@donaldmackerer9032]

This was fascinating and very informative. Good job! I wonder if we would use multiple forms of propulsion? I love stuff like this.

[@delunevonbek]

We do know the name of the 'sherpa' who climbed Everest. His name was Tenzing Norgay. In addition, he wasn't the second person to climb Everest, he and Hillary were equals.

[@edmonlessley4932]

Love your show brother ❤

[@vytautasdanielius7058]

Shout-out to the "was here before it was reuploaded" gang

[@perniciouspete4986]

As soon as they get to Alpha Centauri after such a long trip, EVERYONE goes to the bathroom.

[@bozhijak]

Orion drive for initial breakaway and deceleration from this gravity well (booster), followed by some sort of VASIMR drive for "coast" ( time saver and power) and course corrections, then at some time Flip & Burn close to the destination. AI will play a big factor here until such time the 'cargo' can woken and do their duties.

[@sweenie58]

As a former scoutmaster I would have the younger boyscouts practice camping in their backyard. Not only did we have a controlled inviroment for them to earn badges but they learned by experiance what they would forget to bring in their packs. What worked and what didn't is very important. When you're 60 miles away in the back woods it's not the time to start a fire for the 1st time. Heavy rain or snow in a backyard camping trip teachs them so much!! There's lots of parrallels with going to Mars and other places.

[@Texas240]

23:05 after watching the la grange point episode, I'm confident we could use L1 to position insulators or deflectors or diffusers to offset Proxima being more active and unpredictable than our sun along with simulating day and night. Reflectors could open up the dark side and other satellites could simulate a magnetosphere if needed. Automated mining and industrial ships, with greater tolerance of acceleration and deceleration, would arrive ahead of any crewed ships to get the process started.

[@josenewtoncostacosta8079]

Muito grato Professor por esta aula de esclarecimento .

[@user-tr8qt9cc2w]

Many views of sophisticated technology. Highly professional.❤

[@kungfuchimp5788]

Man I love this channel. 👍

[@humanhunter2322147]

Sorry they messed up your upload. Watching now. I usually listen to the podcast version more often

[@bmwrulesforeternity5218]

Highly enjoyable video ... hopefully you get to a million subscribers soon.

[@UrdnotChuckles]

I reckon some of the new engines being worked on might very well help with getting around our own solar system quicker, let alone getting to the next one. Isn't NASA working on a hybrid nuclear thermal & electric engine concept? Then there's the VASIMR, etc. Either way, I agree that we'd likely want to get good at very long trips out to and around the Oort cloud or something before we went off to Proxima.

[@Texas240]

30:00 it seems like socially compatible introverts would make the best crews for such missions. I know that after an 8,12, or 16 hour shift, I'd be perfectly happy to enjoy alone time and recharge. On acday off, a quiet corner of the ship or even just my personal compartment, without any desire to pester other crew and without feeling "lonely" from lack of interaction, would be my preferred way to relax.

[@nekomakhea9440]

I heard of an interesting alternative to the supersized Orion Drive pushing an O'Neil Cylinder generation ship, which is to use a fission power plant to power a fusion drive for interplanetary and interstellar travel. Fusion doesn't have to have net-positive energy generation if you're using it for propulsion, it just needs to get plasma really hot and shove it through a (magnetic) rocket nozzle to generate thrust, so the net-positive energy is generated by the conventional fission power plant instead, while the fusion drive is electrically powered by that generator because fusion is much more effective than pulsed fission and has much fewer anti-proliferation political headaches than pulsed fission.

[@blakemccorkle18]

I do VR development specifically with practical experience as well as some PTSD theory. The good news is, our sense of reality is largely grounded in depth perception - which is a lower animal brain since. Meaning, it's very easy to fake it out. So the sense that you are in a large space and not confined in a tiny box can be achieved already now - the things that are missing are the haptic interfaces that would let you feel like you are walking or flying or doing any type of physical activity. Right now we are constrained - but eventually we will have reliable treadmills and body gyroscopes if needed. Depending on what happens with neural interfaces, people could operate entirely in that VR space - and while I do consider part of that dehumanizing, for an interstellar voyage it would be absolutely crucial to maintaining sanity.

[@PyrrhicPax]

Have you done a video exploring the potential for near-space industry (interplanetary mining, orbital habitats, spaceborn egineerin, ect) ?

[@madhatter5921]

you're the greatest, ty much

[@abdamit]

How can one person be so interesting?! honestly love your content!

[@seanjoseph8637]

Gone with the wind in space. Great vid.

[@ajr993]

6:00 I think the best reason is a run away grey goo scenario that has spread and starts decomposing the entire solar system. Moving to another solar system makes it much harder for that grey goo to find you.

[@jefferywise1906]

Ever lost a fan belt in the middle of nowhere? I was 5 when that happened to my family traveling from California to Arkansas to visit my dads family. A simple small part of a old Plymouth wagon broke and everything stopped. I remember watching the turkey vultures circling…. Well we made is but it was interesting to my 5 year old mind. Lose a fan belt equivalent half was between here and Alfa Centauri isn’t a good scenario. 😊

[@edwardlissack1297]

A worm hole may be the fastest way to Alpha Centauri

[@JohanTwinsen]

That was a really interesting episode.

[@chriswandell3570]

"What do i care for your suffering? Pain? Even Agony, is no more then information before the senses, data fed to the computer of the mind, the lesson is simple, take control of the input and you shall become master of the output" Chairman (Something something), Essays on Mind and Matter Thought Isaac might like the AC reference

[@murraypearson2359]

A minor point in the discussion of being second. While it's never been conclusively determined, I think the second person to reach the summit of Everest was in fact Hillary, after Tenzing Norgay; or (I believe most likely) they made the last step together. Hillary had enormous respect for Tenzing and the Sherpas, and contributed to many projects there. Hillary also paid off the budget deficit for my dad's Antarctic mapping expedition, in 1963!

[@acadiano10]

The ship would be a rapidly moving biological and sociological research station, which I hadn't considered before. I am not so much sold on living your life on a ship being a bad thing. We are all born in a certain place and are stuck on Spaceship Earth with some multigenerational projects that will hopefully come to completion before some disaster occurs (including public or corporate funding cuts).

[@jackesioto]

If the starship is laid out like a city or country, life aboard might be pleasant. The only bad thing about it that i can see is you'd be immured on the ship, unable to leave it. That is, unless it was part of an armada of ships with shuttle service in between them.

[@grahamhill676]

​@jackesioto To be fair...Is the same if you live on a ship, or in a prison. People just adapt.

[@reporeport]

YES OMG SO EXCITED FOR THIS

[@jengleheimerschmitt7941]

This narrative-style SFIA is great. I think we should do more stories like this.

[@DeepFleeceheart]

Sfia?

[@jengleheimerschmitt7941]

@@DeepFleeceheart Science and Futurism with Issac Arthur! kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnbOiWysdrd6rdk

[@ilkoderez601]

Good episode (I watch them all).

[@rodclark4960]

That's a regrettable oops, excited to see this one.

[@D_Rogers]

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is pure awesome, one of the greatest TBS of all time! The late nineties was the heyday of turn-based strategy... :) Master of Orion 2 was also epic The modern equivalent of SMAC is AOW Planetfall, which is pretty good.. The original unpatched version of SMAC was entirely nuts, in a fun way.... I still play SMAC a ton.. As my channel can testify.. :D

[@EveryoneWhoUsesThisTV]

SMAC is the GOAT

[@Francois424]

I am still waiting for a PROPER remake of Master of Orion 2 to this day. Many have tried and they all broke their teeth on it. At this point I'd settle for : - Cleaned up original auto track (or orchestral re-recording), - a "Planetary Governor" to load build list from a text file (it skips what is not there yet and keep filling in the blanks as tech improve, nothing to make defaults on good) - Ships Blueprints (see above, allows to load a saved ship -- Time saver as well). - Saving custom races too. Give them a name and simply load them up comes a new game and racial creation. - Stable multiplayer - Modern graphics which does not re-invent the wheel, keep the interface as it was in it's whole. - Maybe a bigger universe tho the maximum size was already humongous). - Option for classic AI and a reworked one. Keep the rest of the game identical... Techs, their costs, racial picks. races, how terraforming worked etc. Allowing making mods by modifying racial picks or tech power would be a plus but not required I don't think I'll ever get the remaster I crave for, but I keep hoping as you never know.

[@copperstaterocketguy1640]

The way you describe future travel, it really makes me wish I was born then... Interstellar cruise ship👍👍👍

[@barriewright2857]

To get to Alpha century we would need startrek technology . To get there in a reasonable time. The question is when will we have it, and I disagree with the nuclear power star ship, its fast but more for solar system exploration but not for open deep space. Great show thank you very much.

[@freebird7369]

Thank You

[@UnadulteratedHipHop]

Thank you

[@stevensierzant3729]

Love your voice isaac. Very soothing

[@williamgeorge2580]

A place so nice SFIA is flying us there twice.

[@kiara-kh7nh]

Another banger from Isaac! I'm not smart enough to comment, usually, but it helps with the silicone overlords, so: I assume you're familiar with the Culture series, being a huge sci-fi fan; where does it fall on the influence scale for you?

[@joeivo911]

Great video

[@christadauria4362]

It’s very interested about the space and planetary exploration to reach Alpha Centauri with earth-like exoplanets in Promixa Centauri in further future.

[@kskaiseraaron]

Best episode!

[@stephenowens945]

Isaac, you need to check out a book written by Michael O'Brien called Voyage to Alpha Centauri. It was a good read.

[@douglascolleton452]

wow you used a model of the Cerberus class from Between the Stars, cool.

[@superkingpunga]

@21.00 wow! Alpha Centauri is the “Pointers” for the Southern Cross!

[@tomblaise]

The last video cut out halfway through and when I could find it, I thought it was either taken down, or I imagined the whole first half.

[@RVM451]

Friend, I remember a very forgettable SF Series-don't remember the name-but the one plot element that I remember and LOVED-When FTL Travel was developed, it turned out to be fairly cheap and easy to make FTL Ships-Cheap enough that many states in the NKS Sponsored their own Terraforming and Colonizing. Consequently, you had Colony Worlds named "New Georgia"; "New Kentucky" and "New Texas." Presumably, each world was settled MAINLY by folks from Kentucky-just for instance-and the whole world would have a sort of "Kentuckian Aura." I know that it is a very long shot-but is there any hope of this happening? (Of course, unfortunately, the culture of the different States has become far more Homogenized today, than they would have been 40 -to-60-years ago when these stories were written.)