Solar sails are an enigmatic and majestic way to travel across the gulf of space.
On Tuesday a RocketLab Electron rocket launched NASA’s new Advanced Composite Solar Sail System.
It aims to test the deployment of large solar sails in low-earth orbit and on Wednesday, NASA confirmed they had successfully deployed a 9 metre sail.
Solar sails are of particular interest because they harness the power of sun, or star light to propel probes across space.
Carl Sagan and other members of the Planetary Society started to propose missions using solar sails in the 70’s and 80’s but it wasn’t until 2010 that we saw the first practical solar sail vehicle, IKAROS.
The concept of solar sails is quite simple to understand, relying upon the pressure of sunlight.
NASA has been working on the problem with their Next Generation Solar Sail Boom Technology.
Their Advanced Composite Solar Sail System uses a CubeSat built by NanoAvionics to test a new composite boom support structure.
Traveling across the void of space with solar sails is mysterious and magnificent. They are among the most effective means of spacecraft propulsion, evoking the image of sail ships from history.
The new Advanced Composite Solar Sail System from NASA was launched on Tuesday by a RocketLab Electron rocket. NASA announced on Wednesday that they had successfully deployed a 9-meter solar sail as part of a test program to evaluate the deployment of large solar sails in low-Earth orbit.
1886 saw the invention of the motor car. The first powered human flight occurred in 1903. Humans launched into space for the first time on a rocket just 58 years later. Over the centuries—yes, centuries—rocket technology has seen tremendous change.
The Chinese and Mongolians began developing rockets in the 13th century when they began launching rocket-powered arrows at one another. Since then, a lot has changed; we now have ion engines, solid and liquid rocket propellant, and solar sails with more advanced technology.
Because they use the sun’s or stars’ light to propel probes across space, solar sails are particularly fascinating. But the concept is not new; in his 17th-century work “Somnium,” planetary motion expert Johannes Kepler first proposed using sunlight to propel spacecraft.
The theory behind how solar sails might genuinely function wasn’t revealed until the 20th century, however, by Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky.
In the 1970s and 80s, Carl Sagan and other Planetary Society members began to suggest missions that would use solar sails; however, it wasn’t until 2010 that the first solar sail vehicle, IKAROS, was actually put into service.
The idea behind solar sails, which rely on solar pressure, is very easy to comprehend. The spacecraft moves forward when photons strike and bounce off the reflective sail due to the angled sails.
Of course, using light to accelerate a spacecraft requires a lot of photons, but over time, this is a very effective propulsion system that doesn’t require large engines or fuel tanks.
Sunlight can accelerate solar sails more easily due to this mass reduction, but the material and construction of the booms supporting the sails have limited the size of the sails.
Using their Next Generation Solar Sail Boom Technology, NASA has been attempting to solve the issue. A CubeSat manufactured by NanoAvionics is used by their Advanced Composite Solar Sail System to test a novel composite boom support structure.
The CubeSat’s deployment of its nine-meter sail and entry into low-Earth orbit were officially confirmed by NASA on April 24, Wednesday. They are currently setting up ground contract and turning on the probe. The 80 square meter sail was deployed in approximately twenty-five minutes.
In the right circumstances, it might even be observable from Earth, with its brightness possibly matching that of Sirius.
