Over the last twenty years, enormous importance has been placed on space exploration. Humans have realized that, at the rate they are currently abusing planet Earth, it will disappear sooner than they could have ever imagined. Learning more about Earth's surrounding environment has become the focal point of scientific research today, and rightly so. This is why three of the most influential people of our time are collaborating to further advance our knowledge of space. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Mark Zuckerberg, Stephen Hawking and Yuri Milner will be working on a project they called Breakthrough Starship. They announced it on April 12, 2015 and are still in the planning stage. They each have an abundance of riches that make that mission possible, but more importantly, they are all quite philanthropic in their own right. They are all willing to sacrifice part of their wealth to further the survival of the human race and expect nothing in return. The spacecraft they plan to launch is reportedly the smallest and lightest ever built. This nanocraft is supposedly smaller than the iPhone but can collect some of the most complex scientific data. Because of this weightlessness, along with the light beams and light sails that will assist it, the nanocraft will reach the nearest star system approximately twenty years after its launch. And that's the goal of Breakthrough Starshot. Reach Alpha Centauri; the aim of this exploration is the closest star system to planet Earth, about 4.37 light years away. Yuri Milner explained that the overall goal “is to be a research and innovation program that explores questions of life in the universe.” They see the opportunity that awaits humans in this star system. There are billions of stars in Alpha Centauri, around which a planet or even several planets orbit, much like the role of our sun in our solar system. They recognize that this represents a great possibility that there could be something important in the star system. Scientists have long believed that Alpha Centauri may contain planets that could host humans. So whether or not this program discovers one of these planets or discovers some kind of extraterrestrial life, it will have been a success in the eyes of its leaders. However, in saying this, it is also important to keep in mind that even if these objectives are not achieved, there will be a lot of useful information gathered by the nanocraft. There are some scientific instruments on board that will be able to collect and send valuable information back to Earth. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay, more importantly, it will be a huge symbolic victory for the human race. Alpha Centauri is extremely distant and under normal circumstances can only be reached in about thirty thousand years, however, Breakthrough Starshot should be able to reach it in twenty years. This demonstrates to the rest of the species that space exploration is very feasible right now and also provides substantial hope that even if the Earth were to collapse, finding an alternative is very close to reality..