Are solar sails feasible in the here & now, like satellites and
rockets?

Or are they more "for the future" like orbital tethers, space
elevators, etc., things that are possible in principle but have big
financial and technical hurdles yet to be ironed out?

I guess I want to know that, if NASA launched a solar sail satellite
into low Earth orbit today, could it sail its way up to higher orbits?

Has anyone ever launced a real solar sail?

Thanks,
John

Em Qua 04 Fev 2004 15:54, jcatkeson3 escreveu:
> Are solar sails feasible in the here & now, like satellites and
> rockets?
>
> Or are they more "for the future" like orbital tethers, space
> elevators, etc., things that are possible in principle but have big
> financial and technical hurdles yet to be ironed out?

I think that they are for now.

> I guess I want to know that, if NASA launched a solar sail satellite
> into low Earth orbit today, could it sail its way up to higher orbits?

Yes, in principle it is possible. In practice, it may be a kind of complicated
operation, with several folds and unfolds of the sail till you reach the
desired orbit.

> Has anyone ever launced a real solar sail?

No, though I vaguely remember that some organization has a project for doing
so in the near future.

> Thanks,

You're welcome,

> John

Lucio

The planetary society will be launching the first sail
in early 2004 last I heard
(http://www.planetarysociety.org/solarsail/index2.html)

Team Encounter will be launching the first commercial
solar sail in 2007 (www.teamencounter.com).

> Yes, in principle it is possible. In practice, it may be a kind of
> complicated operation, with several folds and unfolds of the sail
> till you reach the desired orbit.

Might be easier to turn it sideways than to furl and unfurl it.

> No, though I vaguely remember that some organization has a project
> for doing so in the near future.

Just because you said that I did a Google on "solar sail" and this
was their very top link:

http://www.planetary.org/solarsail/index2.html

Which leads to this: http://solarsail.org/

How about that! D'oh, guess I should have looked for the obvious
before asking. Pretty cool project!

John