Solar Sail finally a reality: BBC

Submitted by charlie.collins on Thu, 08/12/2004 - 08:20

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Science

A japanese rocket has tested two solar sails. This test was apparently a simple "deployment" test in order to determine if the sails and sail material were viable. It was also apparently a success (whether or not the craft was propelled by the sails is left unsaid in the linked BBC article). See the linked BBC article for more. (And check out what once was Carl Sagans old site "solarsail.com", its now the "Cosmos 1" project site, for more general details, also linked.) Japan unfurls solar sail in space

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RE: Solar Sail finally a reality: BBC

Submitted by Mr. Heimann (not verified) on Thu, 08/12/2004 - 14:02.

I wonder if there would be enough solar 'wind' to actually propel the craft noticably while still in the Van Allen magnetic belts. Kind of interesting that the first age of exploration on earth was through sail, and the same may hold true for exploring the solar system and maybe nearby stars.

RE: Solar Sail finally a reality: BBC

Submitted by atrox (not verified) on Thu, 08/12/2004 - 21:26.

Hey! we agree on something, sweet brown sugar! I wonder about the propulsion too, and find your sail observation very insightful and yes interesting. Something has gone wrong here.