SUNNYSIDEUP
Solar sail to power spacecraft
THE PLANETARY SOCIETY, the world’s largest space interest group, has announced that its LightSail solar sail spacecraft will reach space on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch in 2016.
“It’s fantastic that at last we have a launch date for this pioneering mission,” said Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye The Science Guy.
The Planetary Society also has a long history of solar sail activity. In June of 2005 the Society attempted to launch Cosmos 1, which would have been the first solar sail in space. The failure of a Russian booster doomed that effort, but the Society never gave up the dream of sailing the cosmos on the gentle yet constant pressure exerted by sunlight. Solar sailing promises tremendous advantages over traditional chemical rockets. There is no need to carry fuel for complex rocket engines, as the Sun provides an endless source of energy for propulsion. Solar sailing and related techniques have been called the only practical way to reach other stars.
While there have been other solar sail missions in the last decade—notably Japan’s IKAROS—none have attempted what
LightSail will. It is the first to be entirely funded by Planetary Society members and other citizen supporters. Technologies developed for LightSail may enable other small, interplanetary spacecraft to achieve success. The creation and launch of CubeSats is within reach of universities and other organizations that could once only dream of flying their own missions.
CubeSats utilize a standard design based on 10-centimeter (about 4-inch) cubes. LightSail is three cubes, or just 30 centimeters long. Tucked inside this tiny package are four ultra- thin Mylar sails that will be deployed a few weeks after orbital insertion. These brilliantly reflective wings will expand to 32 square meters (344 square feet), making LightSail easily visible to naked eye observers on Earth.
LightSail will reach Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) stored inside another innovative spacecraft: Prox-1. Prox-1 has been developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology to demonstrate new technologies enabling two spacecraft to work in close proximity. After ejecting LightSail, the largely student-built Prox-1 will track and image LightSail, including the sail deployment.
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www.solar-international.net I Issue IV 2014
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