Japan’s Ikaros unfurls solar sail in space
Image of sail from onboard camera
Japanese scientists are celebrating the successful deployment of their solar sail, Ikaros.
The 200-sq-m membrane is attached to a small disc-shaped spacecraft that was put in orbit last month by an H-IIA rocket.
Ikaros will demonstrate the principle of using sunlight as a simple and efficient means of propulsion…The mission team will be watching to see if Ikaros produces a measurable acceleration, and how well its systems are able to steer the craft through space…
The principle of solar sailing is a simple one. Photons, or particles of light, falling on a highly reflective, ultra-thin (in this case, just 7.5 microns) surface will exert a pressure.
The force is tiny but continuous, and over time should produce a considerable velocity.
Bravo!
Setting sail through space is an excellent analogy to the history of human exploration.
