We've already done what they're claiming to be first doing with multiple probes heading into interstellar space, that actually did more than serve as some rock thrown out into space, and are still giving data, which this won't. It also doesn't check off the list what they specifically mention, as no human is leaving the system.

It would be interesting if it was doing some science on the way, but I didn't see anything mentioned.

The neat thing about very long term missions like this is we might develop new technologies quickly enough to reach the destination before this one does.

Would be interesting if someone was able to develop electronics that survive that long. Or are they just going to hurl a chunk of aluminium over there?

That's pretty much the idea behind the original comic run of Guardians of the Galaxy.

The mission is intended to make the idea of interstellar travel real

It already is more real than this project's goals seem to want. Both Voyagers are in interstellar space, as the article points out as well.

That's a fair bit faster than even Voyager 1 (which isn't aiming for Alpha Centauri), but man, 80,000 years is still a long time...

"I'm gonna be the first person to throw a rock onto that highway!"

Cars driving on the highway: "Please don't."

Most startups don't last 3 years.... 80,000 years. LMAO

1U cube sat that won't send anything back. Neat.
So it's just a brick.

Great PR stunt

I really hope it becomes the Golgafrinchans B-ARC.

We just send a bunch of jizz in a box in the general direction of various planets and hope that a million years from now there will be life somewhere.

Interesting. Could you elaborate?

This was the original team from 1969 - the main character is an astronaut (Vance Astro) who was sent to Alpha Centauri - in suspended animation, because the trip took a thousand years. When he arrives, he finds that faster than light travel was discovered in the meantime and Alpha Centauri has already been colonised by humans for centuries. He ends up forming a superhero team, with a bunch of its members being used (heavily changed) as the Ravagers in the MCU.

The modern incarnation of the Guardians (from 2008) sprang up from a big cosmic event Annihilation: Conquest, though its roster was to a large extent similar to an older team called Infinity Watch. They are joined by Vance Astro - amnesiac, having traveled through time and dimensions, since the original GotG run took place in an alternate universe from the mainstream Marvel continuity, and take up the GotG name on his suggestion, though otherwise they have nothing to do with the old team. There are some crossovers with various versions of the original team later on in the run.

Very cool. Thanks for sharing!

No problem! This was my favourite time and niche in the mainstream comics, starting roughly with the 2004 Thanos series by Starlin which lead directly into Annihilation and later Nova and GotG and a bunch of big cosmic events tying everything together.

All of these stories took place far away from Earth, largely disconnected to the happenings in the more popular Marvel titles, and mostly ran on the idea of taking super obscure D-listers, both heores and villains, and having the freedom to rework them into great characters. Like, nobody cared about Groot.

The team was introduced into the MCU at a time this line of comics more or less ended after 10 glorious years. Suddenly they became hot stuff, so of course they started popping up all over Marvel, and of course the new writers didn't respect the continuity and the new cosmic stuff was largely trash. That's how it goes I guess.