We have sent several spacecraft on trajectories that will ultimately take them into interstellar space (Pioneer 10 and 11, Voyager 1 and 2, New Horizons). How long will it take these spacecraft to travel as far as the nearest stars?
A)a few hundred years
B)tens of thousands of years
C)never, because they will rust and fall apart
D)about a thousand years
E)a few decades

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Currently, the nearest star to our Solar System is Proxima Centauri, which is about 4.24 light-years away. Even at the high speeds of the Voyager and Pioneer spacecraft, it would take tens of thousands of years for them to reach that distance. New Horizons, which is currently traveling at the fastest speed of any spacecraft leaving the Solar System, would still take over 80,000 years to reach Proxima Centauri.

We Have Sent Several Spacecraft on Trajectories That Will Ultimately