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Sailing on Sunbeams
Science fiction meets science fact in Space Sail of the Future. This 1960 painting by Robert McCall depicts a spacecraft powered by light from the Sun. A vessel propelled in this way doesn't need to carry fuel and can devote its entire carrying capacity to scientific instruments. In theory, it could accelerate into the cosmos indefinitely.
Amazingly, this idea has been around since the 1600s. But only recently have engineers made it a reality. The mission, LightSail 2, was flown by the Planetary Society, using a small spacecraft called a CubeSat. Particles of light bounce off the surface of the shiny surface of the mylar. These bursts of momentum keep Light Sail 2 in orbit. New affordable technologies like these promise to enable new types of missions and democratize access to space. |