Over the past two decades, great importance has been given to space exploration. Humans have realized that at the rate they are currently abusing planet Earth, it will disappear sooner than they could have imagined. Learning more about Earth's environment has rightly become the focal point of scientific research today. That's why three of the most influential people of our time are teaming up to advance our knowledge of space. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayMark Zuckerberg, Stephen Hawking and Yuri Milner are going to work on a project they have named Breakthrough Starship. They announced it on April 12, 2015 and are still in the planning stages. They each possess much wealth that makes such a mission possible, but more importantly, they are all quite philanthropic in their views. They are all ready to sacrifice part of their wealth to possibly promote the survival of the human race and expect nothing in return. The spacecraft they plan to launch would be the smallest and lightest spacecraft ever built. This nanocraft is supposed to be smaller than the iPhone, but it can collect some of the most complex scientific data. Due to this lack of weight, as well as the light beams and light sails that will assist it, the nanocraft will reach the nearest star system approximately twenty years after launch. And that’s the goal of Breakthrough Starshot. Reach Alpha Centauri; the closest star system to planet Earth, located approximately 4.37 light years away, is the goal of this exploration. Yuri Milner explained that the overarching goal “is to be a research and innovation program exploring questions of life in the universe.” They see the opportunity that awaits humans in this star system. There are billions of stars in Alpha Centauri, all of which are orbited by one or even more planets, much like the role of our sun in our solar system. They recognize that this presents a good chance that there could be something important in the star system. Scientists have long believed that Alpha Centauri could contain planets that could support humans. So whether or not this program discovers one of these planets or discovers some form of extraterrestrial life, it will have been a success in the eyes of its leaders. However, in saying this, it is also important to keep in mind that even if any of these goals are not achieved, a lot of useful information will be collected by the nanocraft. Some scientific instruments are on board and will be able to collect and send valuable information to Earth. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay More importantly, it will be a huge symbolic victory for the human race. Alpha Centauri is extremely remote and, under normal circumstances, can only be reached in approximately thirty thousand years. However, Breakthrough Starshot should be able to reach it in twenty years. This proves to the rest of the species that space exploration is very feasible at this time and it further gives substantial hope that even if the Earth were to collapse, finding an alternative is very close to a reality...