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Cool Worlds · Yesterday · 36 min

An Idea So Crazy It Might Just Work...

Light sails are a promising method for traveling through space - indeed, Breakthrough Starshot proposed a laser driven version could reach nearby stars. But the exorbitant costs and engineering challenges of such a proposal have stymied its realization. What if there was a way of using the Sun - no lasers required - but keeping our dream of interstellar travel in tact? Introducing TARS. This video is based on published research (see https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.17615 ) supported by the Cool Worlds donors (see below). Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping. → Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support → Get merch: https://crowdmade.com/collections/cool-worlds → Check out our podcast: www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsPodcast Check out Anton’s Starshot video at https://youtu.be/HwPTF_TZvWY THANK-YOU to D. Smith, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, S. Brownlee, E. West, T. Zajonc, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, S. Vystoropskyi, S. Lee, Z. Danielson, C. Fitzgerald, C. Souter, M. Gillette, J. Rockett, M. Sanford, T. Donkin, A. Schoen, K. Dabrowski, J. Armstrong, B. Smith, J. Kruger, J. Bergman, C. Macdonald, M. Hedlund, N. Corwin, K. Howard, L. Deacon, G. Metts, R. Provost, G. Fullwood, N. De Haan, R. Williams, E. Garland, R. Lovely, D. Compos, F. Demopoulos, T. Edris, M. O'Brien, D. Lee, M. Czirr, I. Williams, B. Reese, A. Nimmerjahn, C. Seay, D. Johnson, L. Cunningham, M. Morrow, M. Campbell, B. Devermont, P. Borisoff, H. Schiff, J. Cos, C. Hansen, R. Chaffee, A. Ortiz, B. McMillan, B. Cartmell, J. Bryant, J. Obioma, M. Zeiler, S. Murray, S. Patterson, C. Kennedy, G. Le Saint, W. Ruf, A. Kochkov, B. Langley, P. Stevenson, T. Ford, A. Laroye, I. Venzor, R. Raszka, B. Gaalen, J. Alley, D. Aron, G. Thomsen, S. Shardool, B. Kingston, A. Phan Le, N. Offor, A. Huch, J. Morrison & C. Fitzsimmons. MUSIC Licensed by SoundStripe.com (SS) [shorturl.at/ptBHI], Artlist.io, via CC Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) or with permission from the artist. 0:00 Hill - Circle 3:37 Hill - Rough Mix 6:51 Sid Acharya - Stories from the Sky 8:15 Kyle Preston - An Ocean of Quiet Confession 10:40 Atlas - Waking Up 14:43 Hill - There is but One Good 19:57 One Guitar Orchestra (@OneGuitarOrchestra) - No Time For Caution 22:19 Hill - Interstellar 25:28 Hill - Rough Mix CHAPTERS 00:00 Echoes 00:30 Sea Longing 4:06 Breakthrough Starshot 6:51 The Cavalry Ain't Coming 8:39 The Art of Pragmatism 10:54 No Lasers Required 14:31 Enter the Quasite 16:39 Going Interstellar 18:32 Optimization 20:19 For Our Next Trick 23:26 Juicing TARS 27:13 Closing Thoughts 28:55 Outro and Credits #TARS #Interstellar #CoolWorlds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Light sails are a promising method for traveling through space - indeed, Breakthrough Starshot proposed a laser driven version could reach nearby stars. But the exorbitant costs and engineering challenges of such a proposal have stymied its realization. What if there was a way of using the Sun - no lasers required - but keeping our dream of interstellar travel in tact? Introducing TARS.

This video is based on published research
(see https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.17615 ) supported by the Cool Worlds donors (see below). Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping.

→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support
→ Get merch: https://crowdmade.com/collections/cool-worlds
→ Check out our podcast: www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsPodcast

Check out Anton’s Starshot video at https://youtu.be/HwPTF_TZvWY

THANK-YOU to D. Smith, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, S. Brownlee, E. West, T. Zajonc, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, S. Vystoropskyi, S. Lee, Z. Danielson, C. Fitzgerald, C. Souter, M. Gillette, J. Rockett, M. Sanford, T. Donkin, A. Schoen, K. Dabrowski, J. Armstrong, B. Smith, J. Kruger, J. Bergman, C. Macdonald, M. Hedlund, N. Corwin, K. Howard, L. Deacon, G. Metts, R. Provost, G. Fullwood, N. De Haan, R. Williams, E. Garland, R. Lovely, D. Compos, F. Demopoulos, T. Edris, M. O'Brien, D. Lee, M. Czirr, I. Williams, B. Reese, A. Nimmerjahn, C. Seay, D. Johnson, L. Cunningham, M. Morrow, M. Campbell, B. Devermont, P. Borisoff, H. Schiff, J. Cos, C. Hansen, R. Chaffee, A. Ortiz, B. McMillan, B. Cartmell, J. Bryant, J. Obioma, M. Zeiler, S. Murray, S. Patterson, C. Kennedy, G. Le Saint, W. Ruf, A. Kochkov, B. Langley, P. Stevenson, T. Ford, A. Laroye, I. Venzor, R. Raszka, B. Gaalen, J. Alley, D. Aron, G. Thomsen, S. Shardool, B. Kingston, A. Phan Le, N. Offor, A. Huch, J. Morrison & C. Fitzsimmons.

MUSIC
Licensed by SoundStripe.com (SS) [shorturl.at/ptBHI], Artlist.io, via CC Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) or with permission from the artist.
0:00 Hill - Circle
3:37 Hill - Rough Mix
6:51 Sid Acharya - Stories from the Sky
8:15 Kyle Preston - An Ocean of Quiet Confession
10:40 Atlas - Waking Up
14:43 Hill - There is but One Good
19:57 One Guitar Orchestra (@OneGuitarOrchestra) - No Time For Caution
22:19 Hill - Interstellar
25:28 Hill - Rough Mix

CHAPTERS
00:00 Echoes
00:30 Sea Longing
4:06 Breakthrough Starshot
6:51 The Cavalry Ain't Coming
8:39 The Art of Pragmatism
10:54 No Lasers Required
14:31 Enter the Quasite
16:39 Going Interstellar
18:32 Optimization
20:19 For Our Next Trick
23:26 Juicing TARS
27:13 Closing Thoughts
28:55 Outro and Credits

#TARS #Interstellar #CoolWorlds

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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