No space like home

From The Sun.co.uk: No space like home
THE US military is preparing a Star Trek-style mission to colonise alien worlds - but it will not set off for 100 years.

Top brass are convinced they need to start work drawing up blueprints now because plans for the blast-off will take A CENTURY to complete.

And they are banking on breakthroughs in propulsion cutting the journey time to just 100 YEARS by then.

It would currently take the fastest object mankind has sent into space - the 38,000mph Voyager probe - 70,000 years to reach.

The project, called the 100-Year Starship study, will see key decisions taken within the next 12 weeks - such as where to head for.

Our own solar system's inhospitable planets have been ruled out. Alpha Centauri - among the stars closest to us - is a candidate.

America's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is offering a £300,000 prize to scientists who can begin overcoming hurdles such as whether to freeze humans for the mission - or to send embryos that can be "born" when near their new home.

Darpa's David Neyland said of whoever wins the grant: "We wish them luck."