A Question About Probes

[Dryson]

If a probe were launched from Earth during the time of Zephrem Cochrane and traveled at the fastest warp speed capable for the time period, how far would the probed have traveled in 300 years?




Comments pertainting to hostile species blowing the probe up to end the discussion is not a relevant reply.

 

[Admiral2]

300 light years

 

[Kor]

^ That assumes that it stays at Warp 1 the whole time. But I don't think mid-21st century Earth tech could have come up with a probe that could sustain warp speed for 300 years. It would have run out of power in a relatively short time, and then dropped out of warp. How far it got after that would depend on whether a secondary sub-light drive kicked in at that point, or some external force pushed it in one direction or another, or not.

Kor

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

As far as the plot needed it too.

 

[Timo]

I guess this is pretty clear-cut and doesn't require speculation at all.

As per its titular VOY episode, Friendship One was launched during the time of Zeppy C. It traveled for about a hundred years, which sort of establishes it was not particularly prone to breakdown. It crossed about 25,000 lightyears in that time, give or take, as per the onscreen maps. Given three centuries, it would have gone all the way from Earth to Ocampa. Or anywhere in the Milky Way you'd wish it to go.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Admiral2]

I guess this is pretty clear-cut and doesn't require speculation at all.

As per its titular VOY episode, Friendship One was launched during the time of Zeppy C. It traveled for about a hundred years, which sort of establishes it was not particularly prone to breakdown. It crossed about 25,000 lightyears in that time, give or take, as per the onscreen maps. Given three centuries, it would have gone all the way from Earth to Ocampa. Or anywhere in the Milky Way you'd wish it to go.

Timo Saloniemi

Cool. Question settled.