XPost: sci.space.policy, sci.astro, sci.physics   
   From: alain245@videotron.ca   
      
   On May/22/2016 at 4:48 PM, Robert Clark wrote :   
   >   
   > Suppose we made the probes at the virus or bacteria scale then used   
   > self-assembly to form a macroscale spacecraft say size of Mars   
   > Pathfinder. Then we might only need a ground laser of currently existing   
   > size, say a few hundred kilowatts, to send multiple nanoscale components   
   > to relativistic speeds.   
   >   
   > Know of references for doing self-assembly with components at the   
   > nanoscale?   
   >   
      
   As others have mentioned, this kind of self-assembly is rather far-out   
   in the sci-fi zone. But even if you did have such self assembly,   
   focusing your laser on something far away that is of nanometric size is   
   yet another challenge far-out in the sci-fi zone.   
      
      
   Alain Fournier   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)