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From SolarSailWiki
This website contains information on solar sailing, an old idea but a new technology for moving around and doing things in space. Solar sails are very large and lightweight mirrors that are pushed through space by sunlight. Traditionally, spacecraft have used rockets or thrusters, which propel material in one direction to travel in the other. To learn more, take a look through the sections listed below.
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http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2010/03/20100303_h2af17_e.html
The Venus Climate Orbiter "AKATSUKI" (Planet-C), carrying the IKAROS solar power sail demonstrator, is scheduled to launch on an H-IIA launch vehicle on May 18, 2010, at 6:44:14 AM from Yoshinobu Launch Complex at the Tanegashima Space Center.
--Ben 19:53, 5 March 2010 (UTC)
http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/isss2010/
"The symposium will focus on recent advances in solar sailing technologies and near-term solar sailing missions. The topics to be addressed include dynamics analysis and testing of solar sails, advanced materials and structural concepts of solar sails, space environmental effects and a solar spacecraft protection, solar spacecraft charging, enabling technologies, concepts, dynamics, navigation, control, modeling, mission applications, and programs."
--Ben 22:39, 7 January 2010 (UTC)
http://www.planetary.org/special/fromearth/sail
Submit your name and a message to fly on LightSail or IKAROS
--Ben 17:02, 31 December 2009 (UTC)
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/news/releases/2009/09-102.html
FASTSAT-HSV01 (Fast, Affordable Science and Technology Satellite) is the first of a series of small satellite platforms intended to carry multiple small instruments and experiments at low cost on a variety of launch vehicles. NanoSail-D, previously attempted on a Falcon-1 test flight, is one of the initial experiments of this new satellite platform.
--Ben 16:55, 10 December 2009 (UTC)
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0911/10solarsails/
Article about the IKAROS and LightSail 1 missions planned for launch in 2010.
--Ben 15:55, 12 November 2009 (UTC)
ABC News picked this item up.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Space/sailing-space-reality/story?id=9077536
http://www.planetary.org/about/press/releases/2009/1109_Planetary_Society_to_Sail_Again_with.html
The Planetary Society announced the project LightSail to fly three solar sails of increasing size and complexity over the next several years. An anonymous donor provided funding for the missions, which will begin with LightSail-1, a 3-meter square sail deployed from a 10x10x30cm Cubesat. This is similar to NASA's NanoSail-D. LightSail-2 will be larger and have increased sailing ability out of Earth orbit. LightSail-3 is intended to sail to the sun-Earth L1 Lagrange point to demonstrate solar wind monitoring for geomagnetic storm forecasting. The Planetary Society previously attempted to test fly a solar sail in the Cosmos 1 mission.
Other coverage:
- The Planetary Society LightSail project page
- New York Times: Setting Sail Into Space, Propelled by Sunshine
- MSNBC.com: After letdown, solar-sail project rises again
- Planetary Radio: Celebrating Carl Sagan and a New Solar Sail With Ann Druyan
- The Planetary Society Blog: A million dollars says the Planetary Society can make a solar sail fly
--Ben 15:15, 10 November 2009 (UTC)
More coverage:
- Christian Science Monitor: Dream of solar sailing in space lives on in new project
- Metal Miner: Aluminum the Key to Travel Between the Stars
- The Space Review: Solar sailing gets its second wind
--Ben 15:59, 18 November 2009 (UTC)
Even more coverage:
--Chris 11:55, 18 December 2009 (UTC)
