[Cyphase]

Oh yea, I was going to mention this; thanks for the reminder.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CA%BBOumuamua#Potential_space...

> The Initiative for Interstellar Studies (i4is) has studied potential options for sending a spacecraft to 1I/ʻOumuamua, perhaps using first a Jupiter flyby followed by a close solar flyby at 3 solar radii in order to take advantage of the Oberth effect. More advanced options of using solar, laser electric, and laser sail propulsion, based on Breakthrough Starshot technology, are also considered. The problem is to get to the asteroid in a reasonable amount of time (and so at a reasonable distance from Earth), and yet be able to gain useful scientific information. If the craft goes too fast, it would not be able to get into orbit or land on the asteroid and would simply fly by it, moving at many asteroid diameters per second. The authors conclude that, although challenging, an encounter mission would be feasible using near-term technology.

Of course once 0.05c Starshot becomes feasible, there's a whole solar system to explore!

[Tepix]

Sure, it will zip past a 500m object in a fraction of a second. Then again it will also zip by a planet in less than a second at 60,000km/s (20% c). They might as well solve that problem in the next 8 years.