Is interstellar travel doomed to remain in the realm of science fiction? Sticking to near future space propulsion only, how close can we get to the speed of light?
This video looks at the current spacecraft speed records with Apollo 10 holding the record for the fastest manned spacecraft, New Horizons probe for the fastest Earth escape velocity and the Helios probes for the fastest heliocentric velocity. But Solar Probe Plus will beat that when it launches in 2018. While Voyager 1 doesn't set any speed records, it was the first spacecraft to leave the solar system, so therefore the fastest solar system escape velocity by default.
For beating these speeds, this video explores what is possible in the near future only, so no antimatter, Alcubierre drives (warp), ramjets, etc... The EM drive is left out until it's proven with actual reproducible results in space.
Project Daedalus and the updated Project Icarus represent sound concepts for fusion spacecraft. IKAROS was the first successful demonstration of solar sail technology but hopefully the planetary society is not far behind with their LightSail cubsat (not covered in this video).
But what appears to have the most potential to reach the nearest star to our own, Proxima Centauri and it's newly discovered planet Proxima b is Breakthrough Starshot. Thousands of super lightweight laser sail nanocraft will be launched into space then the light beamer, a ground based laser array will propel these spacecraft to 20% light speed within minutes.
Fun grafix, fun fantasies. I've always said (though nobody listens) that if we want to do all these fancy shmancy things out there, much better to wait till the technology happens organically -- no matter how long it takes. IOW, tech will someday bring to reality every kind of science fiction, eg teleportation of people and things -- with or without NASA et al.
This could have obviated the scores of billions wasted on the space program and lunar lunacy, the Apollo 1 assassinations, etc. Doing it the clunky 20th- century analog way would in the end look like a Flintstones cartoon by comparison.
Can you imagine using your feet to start and stop that auto with the stone tires? I bet you would have great callouses on your feet similar to those I had when I was 14 and took Karate lessons. I could run barefoot down a cinder alley. There were a couple of kids who saw me. They said, "Look at that guy!" Now I'm just another tenderfoot. ;)