Can we build an enormous umbrella to dim the sun? Such a feat would be a megaproject on a scale like no other. It would take at least 400 dedicated rocket launches a year, for ten years (There have been 172 rocket launches ...
Planetary Sciences
Dec 12, 2022
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Solar sailing seems like a simple concept—instead of being pushed along by the wind, as in a typical sailing ship, a spacecraft can use highly reflective said to be pushed along simply by sunlight. But as with almost all ...
Space Exploration
Nov 4, 2022
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As NASA's exploration continues to push boundaries, a new solar sail concept selected by the agency for development toward a demonstration mission could carry science to new destinations.
Space Exploration
May 25, 2022
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Launching with the Artemis I uncrewed test flight, NASA's shoebox-size Near-Earth Asteroid Scout will chase down what will become the smallest asteroid ever to be visited by a spacecraft. It will get there by unfurling a ...
Astronomy
Jan 20, 2022
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Even after 30 months in space, The Planetary Society's LightSail 2 mission continues to successfully "sail on sunbeams," demonstrating solar sail technology in Earth orbit. The mission is providing hard data for future missions ...
Space Exploration
Nov 19, 2021
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When it comes to the challenges posed by interstellar travel, there are no easy answers. The distances are immense, the amount of energy needed to make the journey is tremendous, and the time scales involved are (no pun!) ...
Astronomy
Mar 2, 2020
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Years of computer simulations. Countless ground tests. They've all led up to now. The Planetary Society's crowdfunded LightSail 2 spacecraft is successfully raising its orbit solely on the power of sunlight.
Space Exploration
Aug 1, 2019
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Photos transmitted from The Planetary Society's LightSail 2 spacecraft orbiting Earth confirm that it successfully deployed its solar sail.
Space Exploration
Jul 26, 2019
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The Planetary Society's LightSail 2 spacecraft is ready to embark on a challenging mission to demonstrate the power of sunlight for propulsion.
Space Exploration
May 14, 2019
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We're all familiar with the idea of solar sails to explore the solar system, using the light pressure from the sun. But there's another propulsion system that could harness the power of the sun, electric sails, and it's a ...
Space Exploration
Oct 25, 2017
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