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Is it only because we don't have fast enough spacecrafts that we don't send probes to nearby stars? Do we have sufficient radio technology? If a probe like new horizons was as far as the nearest stars, could we detect its signals? If so, how much data could we get? Could it send us a picture?

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  • $\begingroup$ This article will probably be of interest for the communication portion of the question. $\endgroup$
    – Kyle Oman
    Commented Jan 23, 2015 at 23:44
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    $\begingroup$ I'm putting this as a comment and not an answer, because I don't have specific numbers. But there are two reasons we don't send probes to other stars. The first is the signal strength problem that you mentioned, although that we could probably overcome. It's been estimated that the incidental emissions from our current radio/TV broadcasts are of sufficient power to be detected from many light years away with our current technology, so we could probably do that part. The big problem, though, is it would take hundreds of years for a probe to get to the nearest star. $\endgroup$
    – David Rose
    Commented Jan 24, 2015 at 0:12
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    $\begingroup$ This appears to be a question about engineering. There is no physics problem here - you just need an antenna with a small enough beam width and enough power. But I would guess what you suggest is currently impossible by orders of magnitude, given that these tasks are difficult within our own solar system. $\endgroup$
    – ProfRob
    Commented Jan 24, 2015 at 0:42
  • $\begingroup$ @RobJeffries a small enough beam-width won't undergo dispersion (widening) at such distances? We will need stations on the way, for doing collimation. I do believe that after I don't know how many decades, or centuries, we will send robes to the nearest stars, but not from stations on the Earth, rather from more remote, intermediate stations, that we will build meanwhile. $\endgroup$
    – Sofia
    Commented Jan 24, 2015 at 0:58
  • $\begingroup$ @Sofia "Do we have sufficient radio technology..." $\endgroup$
    – ProfRob
    Commented Jan 24, 2015 at 1:05

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