Breakthrough Initiatives

The Breakthrough Initiatives were announced to the public on 20 July 2015, at London's Royal Society by physicist Stephen Hawking. Russian tycoon Yuri Milner created the Initiatives to search for intelligent extraterrestrial life in the Universe and consider a plan for possibly transmitting messages out into space.{{cite news |last=Feltman |first=Rachel |date=20 July 2015 |title=Stephen Hawking announces $100 million hunt for alien life |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/07/20/stephen-hawking-announces-100-million-hunt-for-alien-life/?tid=sm_tw |access-date=20 July 2015 |archive-date=22 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722223924/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/07/20/stephen-hawking-announces-100-million-hunt-for-alien-life/?tid=sm_tw |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Billings |first1=Lee |date=20 July 2015 |title=Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Nets Historic Cash Infusion |work=Scientific American |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/search-for-extraterrestrial-intelligence-nets-historic-cash-infusion/ |access-date=21 July 2015 |archive-date=22 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722181638/http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/search-for-extraterrestrial-intelligence-nets-historic-cash-infusion/ |url-status=live }}

The announcement included an open letter co-signed by multiple scientists, including Hawking, expressing support for an intensified search for alien radio communications. During the public launch, Hawking said: "In an infinite Universe, there must be other life. There is no bigger question. It is time to commit to finding the answer."{{cite magazine |last1=Vella |first1=Matt |date=21 July 2015 |title=Read the Inspiring 'Questions of Existence' Letter from the World's Greatest Thinkers |url=https://time.com/3964301/breakthrough-listen-letter/ |access-date=21 July 2015 |magazine=Time |publisher= |archive-date=22 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722230212/http://time.com/3964301/breakthrough-listen-letter/ |url-status=live }}

The {{USD|100 million}} cash infusion is projected to mark up the pace of SETI research over the early 2000s rate, and will nearly double the rate NASA was spending on SETI research annually in approximately 1973–1993.

{{Main|Breakthrough Listen}}

File:GBT.png is one of the radio telescopes used by the Breakthrough Listen project.]]

Breakthrough Listen is a program to search for intelligent extraterrestrial communications in the Universe.{{cite journal|title=Search for extraterrestrial intelligence gets a $100-million boost. Russian billionaire Yuri Milner announces most comprehensive hunt for alien life.|last=Merali|first=Zeeya |journal=Nature|date=20 July 2015|volume=523|issue=7561|pages=392–3|publisher=Nature News|doi=10.1038/nature.2015.18016|pmid=26201576|doi-access=free|bibcode=2015Natur.523..392M }}{{cite magazine |last=Rundle |first=Michael |date=20 July 2015 |title=$100m Breakthrough Listen is 'largest ever' search for alien civilisations |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-07/20/breakthrough-listen-project |magazine=Wired |access-date=20 July 2015 |archive-date=22 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722145922/http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-07/20/breakthrough-listen-project |url-status=live }} With $100 million in funding and thousands of hours of dedicated telescope time on state-of-the-art facilities, it is the most comprehensive search for alien communications to date. The project began in January 2016, and is expected to continue for 10 years.{{Cite web|url=https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/News/3|title=Breakthrough Initiatives|website=breakthroughinitiatives.org|language=en|access-date=2017-06-09|archive-date=31 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531153829/https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/news/3|url-status=live}}

The project uses radio wave observations from the Green Bank Observatory and the Parkes Observatory, and visible light observations from the Automated Planet Finder.{{cite web |last=Sample |first=Ian |date=20 July 2015 |title=Anybody out there? $100m radio wave project to scan far regions for alien life |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jul/20/breakthrough-listen-massive-radio-wave-project-scan-far-regions-for-alien-life |access-date=20 July 2015 |work=The Guardian |archive-date=20 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150720155541/http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jul/20/breakthrough-listen-massive-radio-wave-project-scan-far-regions-for-alien-life |url-status=live }} Targets for the project include one million nearby stars and the centers of 100 galaxies. All data generated from the project are available to the public, and SETI@Home is used for some of the data analysis. The first results were published in April 2017, with further updates expected every 6 months.

The Breakthrough Message program is to study the ethics of sending messages into deep space. It also launched an open competition with a US$1 million prize pool, to design a digital message that could be transmitted from Earth to an extraterrestrial civilization. The message should be "representative of humanity and planet Earth". The program pledges "not to transmit any message until there has been a global debate at high levels of science and politics on the risks and rewards of contacting advanced civilizations".{{Cite web| title = Breakthrough Initiatives| url = https://www.breakthroughinitiatives.org/Initiative/2| website = www.breakthroughinitiatives.org| access-date = 24 July 2015| archive-date = 12 June 2018| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142538/http://breakthroughinitiatives.org/initiative/2| url-status = live}}

{{Main|Breakthrough Starshot}}

File:Press Conference at ESO HQ2.tif at its headquarters in Germany. In this picture, Pete Worden giving a speech.]]

Breakthrough Starshot, announced 12 April 2016, is a US$100 million program to develop a proof-of-concept light sail spacecraft fleet capable of making the journey to Alpha Centauri at 20% the speed of light (60,000 km/s or 215 million km/h) taking about 20 years to get there,{{cite news |last=Stone |first=Maddie |date=12 April 2016 |title=Stephen Hawking and a Russian Billionaire Want to Build an Interstellar Starship |work=Gizmodo |url=https://gizmodo.com/a-russian-billionaire-and-stephen-hawking-want-to-build-1770467186 |access-date=12 April 2016 |archive-date=13 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413185106/http://gizmodo.com/a-russian-billionaire-and-stephen-hawking-want-to-build-1770467186 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |author=Staff |title=Breakthrough Initiatives - Breakthrough Starshot |url=https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/About |date=12 April 2016 |work=Breakthrough Initiatives |access-date=14 April 2016 |archive-date=13 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413073646/https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/about |url-status=live }} and about 4 years to notify Earth of a successful arrival.{{cite news |last=Overbye |first=Dennis |author-link=Dennis Overbye |title=Reaching for the Stars, Across 4.37 Light-Years; A Visionary Project Aims for Alpha Centauri, a Star 4.37 Light-Years Away |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/13/science/alpha-centauri-breakthrough-starshot-yuri-milner-stephen-hawking.html |date=12 April 2016 |work=The New York Times |access-date=12 April 2016 |archive-date=15 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415173308/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/13/science/alpha-centauri-breakthrough-starshot-yuri-milner-stephen-hawking.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/Initiative/3 |title=Breakthrough Starshot |work=Breakthrough Initiatives |date=12 April 2016 |access-date=12 April 2016 |archive-date=22 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522213948/https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/initiative/3 |url-status=live }}

The interstellar journey may include a flyby of Proxima Centauri b, an Earth-sized exoplanet that is in the habitable zone of its host star in the Alpha Centauri system.{{cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |title=One Star Over, a Planet That Might Be Another Earth |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/science/earth-planet-proxima-centauri.html |date=24 August 2016 |work=The New York Times |access-date=24 August 2016 |archive-date=1 January 2022 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/science/earth-planet-proxima-centauri.html |url-status=live }} From a distance of 1 Astronomical Unit (150 million kilometers or 93 million miles), the four cameras on each of the spacecraft could potentially capture an image of high enough quality to resolve surface features.{{cite web |url=https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/Target/3 |title=Starshot - Target |access-date=29 June 2019 |archive-date=29 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629185630/https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/target/3 |url-status=live }} The spacecraft fleet would have 1000 craft, and each craft, named StarChip,{{cite web |last=Gilster |first=Paul |title=Breakthrough Starshot: Mission to Alpha Centauri |url=https://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=35402 |date=12 April 2016 |work=Centauri Dreams |access-date=14 April 2016 |archive-date=15 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415071711/http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=35402 |url-status=live }} would be a very small centimeter-sized craft weighing several grams. They would be propelled by several ground-based lasers of up to 100 gigawatts.{{cite web |url=https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/Concept/3 |title=Starshot - Concept |access-date=29 June 2019 |archive-date=29 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629185629/https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/concept/3 |url-status=live }} Each tiny spacecraft would transmit data back to Earth using a compact on-board laser communications system. Pete Worden is the head of this project.{{cite news |last=McBride |first=Sarah |date=20 July 2015 |title=Billionaire Milner pledges $100 mln to find intelligent life in space |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/space-milner-idUSL2N0ZW1NB20150720 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151011164220/https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/20/space-milner-idUSL2N0ZW1NB20150720 |archive-date=2015-10-11}}{{Cite web | url=https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/News | title=Breakthrough Initiatives | access-date=11 January 2017 | archive-date=15 January 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115003615/https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/News | url-status=live }} The conceptual principles to enable this interstellar travel project were described in "A Roadmap to Interstellar Flight", by Philip Lubin of UC Santa Barbara.{{cite journal |last=Lubin |first=Philip |date=April 2015 |title=A Roadmap to Interstellar Flight |url=https://www.deepspace.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/A-Roadmap-to-Interstellar-Flight-15-w7-4-TOC.pdf |journal=Journal of the British Interplanetary Society |publication-date=February 2016 |volume=69 |pages=40–72 |access-date=11 January 2016 |archive-date=31 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131185146/http://www.deepspace.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/A-Roadmap-to-Interstellar-Flight-15-w7-4-TOC.pdf |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Hall |first=Loura |url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/deep-in-directed-energy-propulsion-for-interstellar-exploration |title=DEEP IN Directed Energy Propulsion for Interstellar Exploration |work=NASA News |date=7 May 2015 |access-date=2016-04-22 |quote=NASA is pleased to hear that Professor Lubin has received external funding to continue the work started in his NIAC study. |archive-date=1 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401211228/https://www.nasa.gov/feature/deep-in-directed-energy-propulsion-for-interstellar-exploration/ |url-status=live }} METI president Douglas Vakoch summarized the significance of the project, saying that "by sending hundreds or thousands of space probes the size of postage stamps, Breakthrough Starshot gets around the hazards of spaceflight that could easily end a mission relying on a single spacecraft. Only one nanocraft needs to make its way to Alpha Centauri and send back a signal for the mission to be successful. When that happens, Starshot will make history."{{Cite news|url=https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/alpha-centauri-mission-stephen-hawking-yuri-milner-plan-send-tiny-spacecrafts-stars-1554511|title=Alpha Centauri mission: Stephen Hawking and Yuri Milner plan to send tiny spacecrafts [sic] to the stars|last=Osborne|first=Hannah|date=2016-04-12|work=International Business Times UK|access-date=2017-05-01}}

In July 2017, scientists announced that precursors to StarChip, named Sprites, were successfully launched and flown.{{cite web |author=Staff |title=In Quest To Reach Alpha Centauri, BreakThrough Starshot Launches World's Smallest Spacecraft - First Prototype 'Sprites' – Precursors to Eventual 'StarChip' Probes – Achieve Low Earth Orbit |url=https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/News/12 |date=26 July 2017 |work=BreakThroughInitiatives.org |access-date=28 July 2017 |archive-date=29 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729002300/https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/News/12 |url-status=live }}

Breakthrough Watch is a multimillion-dollar astronomical program to develop Earth- and space-based technologies that can find Earth-like planets in our cosmic neighborhood – and try to establish whether they host life.{{Cite web|url=https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/About|title=Breakthrough Initiatives|website=breakthroughinitiatives.org|language=en|access-date=2017-06-09|archive-date=13 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413073646/https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/about|url-status=live}} The project aims to identify and characterize Earth-sized, rocky planets around Alpha Centauri and other stars within 20 light years of Earth, in search of oxygen and other "biosignatures."{{Cite web|url=https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/Initiative/4|title=Breakthrough Initiatives|website=breakthroughinitiatives.org|language=en|access-date=2017-06-09|archive-date=23 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223035220/https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/initiative/4|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Breakthrough Enceladus mission}}

Breakthrough Enceladus is an astrobiology space probe mission concept to explore the possibility of life on Saturn's moon, Enceladus.{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=Corey S. |date=19 December 2018 |title=Billionaire aims to jump-start search for alien life and rewrite rules of space exploration |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/billionaire-aims-jump-start-search-alien-life-rewrite-rules-space-ncna949311 |access-date=2019-02-17 |website=NBC News |language=en |archive-date=20 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220215001/https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/billionaire-aims-jump-start-search-alien-life-rewrite-rules-space-ncna949311 |url-status=live }} In September 2018, NASA signed a collaboration agreement with Breakthrough to jointly create the mission concept.{{Cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/report-nasa-and-yuri-milner-working-together-on-life-h-1830309201|title=Report: NASA and Yuri Milner Working Together on Life-Hunting Mission to Enceladus|last=Mandelbaum|first=Ryan F.|website=Gizmodo|date=November 8, 2018|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-17|archive-date=18 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218081813/https://gizmodo.com/report-nasa-and-yuri-milner-working-together-on-life-h-1830309201|url-status=live}} This mission would be the first privately funded deep space mission.{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Mark |date=November 8, 2018 |title=NASA is giving advice to Yuri Milner's private mission to Enceladus |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2184863-nasa-is-giving-advice-to-yuri-milners-private-mission-to-enceladus/ |access-date=2019-02-17 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US |quote=The first private mission to deep space is gathering momentum. |archive-date=18 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218022837/https://www.newscientist.com/article/2184863-nasa-is-giving-advice-to-yuri-milners-private-mission-to-enceladus/ |url-status=live }} It would study the content of the plumes ejecting from Enceladus's warm ocean through its southern ice crust.{{Cite web| url=https://www.space.com/42384-breakthrough-initiatives-alien-life-search-mission.html| title=Billionaire Yuri Milner's Breakthrough Initiatives Eyes Private Mission to Seek Alien Life| date=November 9, 2018| last=Wall| first=Mike| website=Space.com| language=en| access-date=2019-02-17| quote=Breakthrough Initiatives was investigating the feasibility of launching a probe that would look for signs of life in the plume of water vapor and other material wafting from Enceladus' south polar region.| archive-date=18 February 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218081916/https://www.space.com/42384-breakthrough-initiatives-alien-life-search-mission.html| url-status=live}} Enceladus's ice crust is thought to be around two to five kilometers thick,{{cite web|url=https://blogs.agu.org/geospace/2016/06/21/saturn-moon-enceladus-ice-shell-thinner-expected/|title=Saturn moon Enceladus' ice shell likely thinner than expected|date=2016-06-21|website=GeoSpace|first=Elizabeth|last=Deatrick|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-17|archive-date=18 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218021429/https://blogs.agu.org/geospace/2016/06/21/saturn-moon-enceladus-ice-shell-thinner-expected/|url-status=live}} and a probe could use an ice-penetrating radar to constrain its structure.{{Cite journal |last1=Čadek |first1=Ondřej |last2=Tobie |first2=Gabriel |last3=Van Hoolst |first3=Tim |last4=Massé |first4=Marion |last5=Choblet |first5=Gaël |last6=Lefèvre |first6=Axel |last7=Mitri |first7=Giuseppe |last8=Baland |first8=Rose-Marie |last9=Běhounková |first9=Marie |display-authors=3 |date=2016 |title=Enceladus's internal ocean and ice shell constrained from Cassini gravity, shape, and libration data |journal=Geophysical Research Letters |language=en |volume=43 |issue=11 |pages=5653–5660 |bibcode=2016GeoRL..43.5653C |doi=10.1002/2016GL068634 |issn=1944-8007 |doi-access=free}}

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Active SETI
• Colossus Array Array of 74m telescopes capable of laser propelling nano crafts.
• Communication with extraterrestrial intelligence
• Interstellar probe
• Interstellar travel
• IXS Enterprise
• Nexus for Exoplanet System Science
• Ohio State University Radio Observatory
• 100 Year Starship
• Open data
• Open-source software
• Project Daedalus
• Project Dragonfly
• Project Icarus
• Project Longshot
• Search for extraterrestrial intelligence
• SETI@home
• Starship
• Starwisp

{{div col end}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20180612184926/http://breakthroughinitiatives.org/ Breakthrough Initiatives web site]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20180609185605/https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/initiative/1 Breakthrough Listen]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142538/http://breakthroughinitiatives.org/initiative/2 Breakthrough Message]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143228/http://breakthroughinitiatives.org/news/1 Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking announce $100 million Breakthrough Initiative to dramatically accelerate search for intelligent life in the Universe] / Breakthrough Initiatives, London, 20 July 2015
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20180609185605/https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/initiative/1 Breakthrough Listen], Breakthrough Initiatives website
• [https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/Initiative/3 Breakthrough Initiatives' official website]
• {{YouTube|wMkWGN1G6Kg|Launching a StarChip – concept}}
• {{YouTube|kBHQcArA1fM|Going interstellar (NASA)}}
• {{YouTube|fsARBnvUB2E|Will Starshot's Insterstellar Journey Succeed? (PBS Digital Studios)}}
• {{Official website|https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/Initiative/3}}
• [https://www.pesti.net Creation of Stephen Hawking's Universe with Nanotechnology]

{{Astrobiology}}

{{Extraterrestrial life}}

{{Interstellar messages}}

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