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Re:A Visionary Project Aims for Alpha Centauri, a Star 4.37 ... by ryao on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @06:15PM (#11484051)
That depends on how much energy that the space craft reflects. If it reflects all of it, the space craft would not gain any heat at all unless there is some weird quantum effect that would mean otherwise.
Re:A Visionary Project Aims for Alpha Centauri, a Star 4.37 ... by JoeAltmaier on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @06:45PM (#11484235)
Likewise, such a spacecraft could survive the inside of the sun.
Re:A Visionary Project Aims for Alpha Centauri, a Star 4.37 ... by nardi on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @07:02PM (#11484341)
I'm not a physicist, but it seems like perfectly reflecting photons in a vacuum is different from being immune to conductive heat transfer in a plasma.
Re:A Visionary Project Aims for Alpha Centauri, a Star 4.37 ... by gunn on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @07:16PM (#11484433)
That and reflecting one wavelength vs a wide spectrum.