Manasvi Lingam

The solar wind and ultraviolet constantly peel a thin layer of gases off Earth, like wind carrying away steam over a hot pot. This process is slow, taking billions of years. But for planets near red dwarfs, it's harsher: they bask right next to the star, and X-ray fluxes sandblast their atmospheres like an abrasive blaster.

A handful of coins accelerates to one-fifth the speed of light. That's what Coracle interstellar probes will be like — tiny spacecraft weighing just a few grams, each with an ultrathin sail film. A powerful laser beam pushes them forward: light presses on the sail like wind fills a yacht's sails, except instead of air, it's a stream of photons.