Launch of the Sun Jammer solar sail
The Sun-jammer is a
NASA mission intended to demonstrate solar sail technology, a form of
propellant-free spacecraft propulsion that allows travel using radiation
pressure alone.* This involves a combination of light and
high-speed gas particles, ejected from the Sun, pushing large ultra-thin
mirrors (or sails) to high speeds.
Solar sails have the potential to offer major advantages over
conventional spacecraft. Low weight and a complete lack of fuel means that
project costs are reduced. Though initially slow, their constant acceleration
means they can build up to extremely high speeds over long time periods. This
makes them especially well-suited for deep space missions to the outer planets,
or even interstellar space. They could also provide a solution to the problem
of space junk in Earth orbit, by catching small fragments of debris, or
de-orbiting larger pieces.
The Sunjammer weighs just 31 kg (70 lb) and is the size of a
dishwasher, prior to launch. When fully unfurled, however, its sails reach 38
metres (124 ft), covering almost 13,000 square feet, or one-third of an acre.
This is 130 times larger than NanoSail-D2, a previous effort by NASA that was
deployed in 2011.
Other spacecraft utilising solar sails include the Interplanetary
Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun (IKAROS) – a Japanese mission
launched in 2010,* with a larger version later in the decade.* By the 2030s, probes with solar sails are
reaching hundreds of metres in size.* A few centuries from now, spacecraft the
size of entire countries will become possible.*
References
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdm/solarsail/solarsail_overview.html
Accessed 29th March 2013.
"Future Solar Power Sail Demonstrator planned in the late 2010s will involve a large sized solar power sail with a diameter of 50m, and will have integrated ion-propulsion engines."
See Solar Power Sail Demonstrator "IKAROS", JAXA:
http://www.jspec.jaxa.jp/e/activity/ikaros.html
Accessed 29th March 2013.
First Interstellar Spacecraft May Use Texas-Size Solar Sail, Space.com:
http://www.space.com/20169-interstellar-spaceflight-solar-sail.html
Accessed 29th March 2013.
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