NASA has launched the latest attempt to test solar sail propulsion technology. The ACS3’s solar sail is made of a reflective polymer and is held by a boom made of carbon fiber composite material.
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A startup plans to sail through space using sunlight
Solar sailing has moved from science fiction concept to working hardware, and now a new generation of entrepreneurs wants to turn that gentle push of sunlight into a commercial engine. Instead of ...
Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Video shows NASA's futuristic solar sail technology prototype. Like a sail on the ocean propels a boat with the wind, this space ...
For most spacecraft, traveling through the vacuum of space requires fuel. NASA's experimental Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) is different, though. This vehicle could help NASA learn how ...
The ribbon solar sail will be a solar sail design using a thin film strip embedded with diffractive gratings. It is a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) project. This configuration leverages ...
On May 21, 2010, Japan launched the first solar sail into space. Solar sail technology uses light for spacecraft propulsion, but not in the same way that traditional solar panels do. While solar ...
An historical introduction to space propulsion -- The rocket : how it works in space -- Rocket problems and limitations -- Non-rocket in-space propulsion -- The solar-sail option : from the oceans to ...
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