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This Hyperspeed Space Sail Could Take Us to Next-Door Star Systems

For years, physicists have been trying to perfect a way to catapult space probes at a fifth the speed of light. One team is flagging an important section of the blueprint.

Only about 4 light-years away from our solar system lies Alpha Centauri, another bustling space neighborhood. It’s anchored by three stars with the same job as our sun, holds planets analogous to our eight famous orbs and may even have an Earth twin hanging out in the habitable zone. Almost like an alternate reality, the star system is a tantalizing region for space explorers.

There’s just one, glaring issue. With our present technology, spacecraft sent toward Alpha Centauri wouldn’t arrive until somewhere around the year 82022. That’s why, in 2016, late astrophysicist Stephen Hawking and investor Yuri Milner launched Breakthrough Starshot — an initiative to send microchip-size space probes over to Alpha Centauri at 20% the speed of light, reducing the whopping travel time to a mere 20 years.

Their blueprint centers on a lightsail that harnesses the power of photons, aka light particles, beamed from an Earth-based laser, instead of wind like a traditional sail. Though it’d fit right in with the sci-fi tech of Star Trek, the idea gained so much popularity that researchers everywhere began studying how to bring the contraption to fruition, hoping to produce a hyperdrive that blasts around the universe at dizzying rates.

Hailing from the University of Pennsylvania, one such team is tackling a big piece of the puzzle. In a pair of papers published this month in the journal Nano Letters, researchers suggested a way to ensure these innovative spacecraft don’t tear from intense laser pulses during the two-decade-long interstellar voyage. Basically, the researchers propose the sail must «billow» in space’s void like standard boat sails wave amid Earth’s winds.

«Some of the lightsail figures from early on were billowing, some were not, but it was not well studied,» said study author Igor Bargatin, an associate professor in the department of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania. «What we did is show you definitely need billowing.

«We realized people haven’t really looked at the mechanics of the problem, and in particular, the possibility of tears,» Bargatinadded. «We want to make sure if and when this idea is realized, people pay attention to things that could happen during acceleration.

«We don’t want these sails to fail.»

Interstellar ship parameters

Picture a boat venturing out to sea with a sail attached. The sail will heave with every gust of wind and propel the vessel forward. That propulsion happens because wind hitting the sail bounces off, creating pressure.

Lightsails aren’t all that different.

«When the photons hit our lightsail, they get reflected and they also create pressure,» Bargatin said. «The exact mechanism is a little different because we’re talking light versus actual molecules of air. But they create pressure nonetheless in both cases.» In fact, these devices have already been proven effective to a degree.

In 2010, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency launched a lightsail mission dubbed Ikaros and deemed it a success. In 2019, the experimental LightSail 2 followed suit. Funded by a Kickstarter campaign started by Bill Nye and Neil DeGrasse Tyson, it moved a small satellite in space using pure photon power.

But both Ikaros and LightSail 2 used light emanating from the sun, in contrast to Breakthrough Starshot’s vision of laser beams.

Though sunlight reduces the risk of tears, it’s too weak for Starshot’s endeavor. Plus, Bargatin says, Starshot light pulses must happen within a relatively short period of time because once the lightsail gets too far from Earth, scientists lose their ability to effectively accelerate it.

In short, to reach a fifth the speed of light — so it can access Alpha Centauri in the desired 20 years — within a strict window, lightsails would need extremely strong light pulses possible only with lasers.

«Designed pressures on our lightsails are not huge,» Bargatin said. «They’re about the same as having a penny on your hand.» In scientific terms, the pressure adds up to about 10 pascals, Bargatin says, but consider how we go about our lives without worrying about light pressure at all.

Ten Pascals of light force requires a significant amount of laser power, so unlike Ikaros’ dance with wispy sunrays, lightsails imparted with ultra harsh laser pulses can be badly damaged.

How to build a durable lightsail

According to the researchers, strong laser pulses could create pressure forceful enough to curve and tear the sheet like a taut boat sail may rip if hit by a giant gust of wind.

They believe lightsails must have the ability to «billow» and form a curved shape kind of like a parachute. Both the sail’s length and the radius of curvature, Bargatin explains, should be about 3 meters. In their new papers, the authors outline geometric measurements that ensure optimal billowing.

Even a lightsail protected from tears, however, will encounter other obstacles. To overcome such issues, the major parameter to consider is sail material. The sheets must be strong for durability, lightweight to minimize laser strength, reflect light efficiently for ideal propulsion and shed heat generated from laser pulses.

If the latter bit isn’t taken care of, Bargatin says, the sail could literally melt in space.

«You can come up with a combination of materials. The thicknesses of those materials and curved geometries would allow the sail to survive the pressures that we’re currently designing for,» Bargatin said, noting his team is mostly looking at a material called molybdenum disulfide.

In the grand scheme of things, though, building the massive laser array that’ll beam lightsails forward will be a big hurdle. Researchers working in space-based communication, Bargatin says, are also still figuring out how to retrieve information from the microchip probe attached to the lightsail.

If Breakthrough Starshot’s mechanism works one day, it’ll be a true testament to humanity’s brilliance in the field of science. In an announcement of the organization’s immense goals six years ago, Hawking stated:

«I believe what makes us unique is transcending our limits. Gravity pins us to the ground, but I just flew to America. I lost my voice, but I can still speak, thanks to my voice synthesizer. How do we transcend these limits?

«With our minds and our machines.»

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 22, #895

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Nov. 22, #895.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has a fun mix of categories. If you know your unusual foods, you should get the blue group easily enough. If you need help sorting the answers into groups, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Not a lot.

Green group hint: Like Popeye.

Blue group hint: Yum!

Purple group hint: Let’s Make a ____.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Little bit.

Green group: Sailor.

Blue group: Tropical fruits/vegetables.

Purple group: ____ deal.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is little bit. The four answers are dab, drop, splash and touch.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is sailor. The four answers are salty dog, skipper, swab and tar.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is tropical fruits/vegetables. The four answers are bitter melon, chayote, durian and soursop.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ deal. The four answers are big, plea, raw and sweetheart.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 22 #629

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Nov. 22, No. 629.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a fun one, if you know your college sports. But some of the answers are difficult to unscramble; if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Ivy League

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Academics meets athletics.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

  • SEAT, SEATS, SITE, BLUR, BEAT, BEATS, RATS, STAR, STARE, STARES, POUR, POURS

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

  • BEARS, LIONS, TIGERS, QUAKERS, CRIMSON, BULLDOGS

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is SPORTSTEAM. To find it, start with the S that’s three letters to the right on the top row, and wind down.

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Technologies

Save $350 on the iPhone of Androids This Black Friday

The Google Pixel 9 Pro is among the best Android has to offer, and it’s easy to see why. Put one in your pocket for less this holiday season.

Black Friday deals alert: The Google Pixel 9 Pro is currently $350 off during early Black Friday sales, making it an impressive $649.

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Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

CNET’s key takeaways

While Android users swear by them, a lot of other people consider Android phones to feel overly complex. The user interface isn’t quite as easy to adjust as Apple’s offering. While it may sound unreasonable, Samsung’s Galaxy S25 range, for example, has deep menu settings that let you tweak nearly every aspect of the phone. It can feel overwhelming — and even a bit off-putting.

For many Android users, the deep customizability of the OS has always been a selling point over the more simplistic iOS found on Apple’s iPhones. But just because you want an Android phone, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a fanatical tech nerd who wants to tinker with menus all day. 

While it’s not the latest model — the Pixel 10 Pro is $899 right now — the Pixel 9 Pro is the easiest Android phone I’ve ever used, and there are a number of reasons why. 

My experience with the Pixel 9 Pro

First, it’s Google’s own phone, meaning there’s no secondary manufacturer software skin over the top of the operating system. It’s pure, uncut Android. Google’s interface is clean, easy to read and uncluttered. Naturally, it uses Google’s own apps by default. Samsung, meanwhile, loads its phones up with its own browser, email client and photo gallery, all of which sit beside Google’s Chrome, Gmail and Photos apps, meaning you already have duplicates of each tool. 

Samsung is not the only phonemaker to do this. Almost all Android phone companies load their phones up with at least their own browser and gallery app, while some companies, like Samsung and Honor, go as far as making their own email clients and calendars. 

I recently reviewed the Honor 400 Pro, and one of the big issues I found with that phone was how much unsolicited stuff comes pre-loaded as standard. Third-party apps from TikTok, LinkedIn, WPS office, Temu and a variety of others are all there as soon as you turn it on for the first time, making the phone feel cluttered, bloated and complicated before you’ve even had a chance to install one app of your own. The Pixel has none of this.

It’s the same with AI tools. Samsung has its Bixby assistant, plus a huge variety of its own AI functions. The Honor 400 Pro packs a bunch of AI features for real-time translation and transcription, as do the OnePlus 13 and various other recent Android phones. But they all come with Google’s Gemini Advanced, too, along with Circle to Search. The Pixel doesn’t need to pointlessly double up. If you want to use AI with your phone, its tools are baked into the heart of the phone experience without you needing to also activate and sign into a third-party service.

This simple approach extends to the camera, too. Open the default camera app and you’re met with a neat interface, comprised mostly of the shutter button and zoom levels, with other shooting modes found alongside. It doesn’t try to overcomplicate things here, instead letting you quickly shoot images without messing about with settings. 

It’s an approach that works here, and as a result, the Pixel 9 Pro takes some of my favorite automatic images from a phone camera, doing a great job of balancing exposure and colors. I love the Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s camera, but to get the best from it, you need to shoot in Pro mode, taking manual control of the settings, which makes it more suited to advanced photographers who want to fine-tune their images. 

The Pixel does offer deeper control if you want it, conveniently hidden behind a small settings icon, rather than requiring you to switch completely into a «Pro» mode. For those of you wanting to take manual control of your white balance to warm up a beautiful sunset, the Pixel 9 Pro offers an easy way in.

The specs

  • 6.3-inch LTPO OLED display, 2,856×1,280 pixel resolution, 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate
  • Google Tensor G4 processor
  • 16GB RAM
  • 4,700-mAh battery
  • 50 megapixel main camera, 48 megapixel ultrawide, 48 megapixel telephoto zoom

CNET’s key takeaways

CNET’s buying advice

Google has clearly taken notes from Apple’s approach in making the Pixel range. Apple’s phones may be derided by Android fans for their lack of customization and «locked down» nature, but iPhones are famously more simple to operate. They have integrated hardware, software and services that make them easy to understand whether you’re new to smartphones or a veteran gadget obsessive. 

Apple’s «you do things our way» approach is a big part of the phone’s success, and the Pixel 9 Pro feels like the closest approximation of the Apple experience you can find on Android. If you’re looking for a clean experience with a smartphone that doesn’t try and get in your way with needless extras, the Pixel 9 Pro is certainly worth a look.

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