Solar Sail
Explanation:
Nearly 400 years ago astronomer
Johannes Kepler observed
comet tails blown by a
solar
breeze and suggested that
vessels might likewise navigate through space using
appropriately
fashioned sails.
It is now widely recognized that sunlight does indeed produce a force
which moves
comet tails and a
large, reflective sail
could be a practical means of propelling a spacecraft.
In fact, the illustration above represents one concept currently being
explored by NASA centers to develop an
interstellar probe pushed along
by sunlight reflected from an ultrathin sail.
Nearly half a kilometer wide, the delicate
solar
sail would be unfurled in space.
Continuous pressure from sunlight would ultimately accelerate the craft
to speeds about five times higher than possible with conventional
rockets -- without requiring any fuel!
If launched in 2010 such a probe could overtake
Voyager 1,
the most
distant spacecraft bound for interstellar space,
in 2018 going as far in
eight years as the Voyager will have journeyed in 41 years.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
