Mini spacecraft for Alpha Centauri?

[lazjen (Chris)]

Ha, no surprise that some of the questions and solutions we've been discussing are already up on the site. Great stuff.

[Max Vondel (Peter)]

Yes it's a monumental undertaking...but perhaps the only way to get there in our lifetime. And there are lots of technical problems to overcome, but we've visited all the planets in our solar system, something that would have sounded just as crazy 100 years ago.

[grimsay (Iain)]

Exciting stuff! I really hope this venture or others it leads to succeed in my lifetime.

Would the effects of time dilation on a craft traveling 20% the speed of light over 4 light years be noticeable?

[Atmos (Colin)]

At 20% of light speed it equates to a 4.2% difference in time dilation/length contraction.