Craft Will Be Pushed By Photons In Sunlight
11.10.09 |
The Planetary Society has unveiled a plan to put a solar-powered spacecraft into outer space by the end of 2010. Dubbed "LightSail," the lightweight craft will consist of a small electronic control module and a very large sail made out of aluminized mylar, that will be pushed by sunlight. In fact, a Planetary Society statement says, quote, "a solar sail can eventually reach speeds five to ten times greater than any chemical rocket." The Pasadena-based Planetary Society says "LightSail" will be built by Strategic Space, Inc. of San Luis Obispo, California. The craft will be carried into outer space by a conventional rocket.
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