Submitted by stealth941 t3_10f735i in askscience
stealth941 OP t1_j4w2o3n wrote
Reply to comment by liquid_at in Whats stopping us from sending a probe into a black hole if we haven't already? by stealth941
I'm willing to take that chance for future generations... I mean its comforting knowing that's where the closest black hole is
E- yh I was naive there I'm learning as I read
PhyPhillosophy t1_j4w350w wrote
I mean, i get what your saying, but this requires funding. And like other commenters have said, it wouldn't be able to transmit anything back to us, not only that, I don't think the information gained would even seem that useful, to justify an operation that would be 60,000 years into the future, when it's unclear if we'll be around for another 100 or so
extropia t1_j4wjgoj wrote
Unfortunately movies like Interstellar (which I love btw) make it seem like simply entering a black hole would reveal all sorts of secrets of the universe to an observer. All we really know is that most of our physical models break down in there, and without a massive lineup of experiments and machines to conduct them to take into the black hole, let alone the current impossibility of doing so, it would be akin to you doing 5 tabs of acid and then telling the rest of us 'you've figured it all out'.
The latter would be a lot more enjoyable.
aspheric_cow t1_j4wvphc wrote
It's not a matter of "taking chances." We don't have the technology to send a probe to even the closest stars (other than our Sun). And the closest black hole is hundreds of times further away than the closest stars.
liquid_at t1_j4w4gi5 wrote
I have been made aware that my calculation was off by a factor of 1000.
[deleted] t1_j4w84rv wrote
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BDT81 t1_j4x5k6w wrote
>I'm willing to take that chance for future generations
All of recorded human history would not cover 1/10 of the time this journey would take. Being optimistic, I would hope that whatever we send today would be considered beyond an ancient, obsolete relic before it arrived at a black hole.
Additionally, the speed of this probe is actually the easiest problem. Then it has to be constructed to endure the massive gravity that will tear it apart on a molecular level. Then, we have to figure out how to transmit any data back from something that doesn't let light escape.
stealth941 OP t1_j4xdjp2 wrote
Yh sounds insanely complex
BailysmmmCreamy t1_j4xh2ud wrote
Another thing to consider is that a probe sent by future generations would almost certainly beat a probe sent today to the destination due to advances in propulsion technology.
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