From PESWiki

Directory of technologies and resources relating to solar sails, that use the principle of solar wind in space to provide propulsion.

Solar sails (also called light sails or photon sails, especially when they use light sources other than the Sun) are a proposed form of spacecraft propulsion using large membrane mirrors. Radiation pressure is about 1e-5 Pa at Earth radii and decreases by the square of the distance from the light source (e.g. sun), but unlike rockets, solar sails require no reaction mass. Although the thrust is small, it continues as long as the light source shines and the sail is deployed. In theory a lightsail powered by an Earth-based laser can even be used to decelerate the spacecraft as it approaches its destination. [1]

Solar Sail Technologies

• Finnish Electric Solar Sail Nears Implementation - The Finnish Meteorological Institute has produced plans to build an electric solar sail that will circle the Earth, gaining speed to test its acceleration. One possible flagship mission would be a flight out of the solar system to measure the gas, dust, plasma and magnetic field in the undisturbed interstellar space. (Slashdot; Apr. 23, 2008)

Cosmos 1

• http://www.solarsail.org - Cosmos 1

• Solar Sailing - What We Do | The Planetary Society - Cosmos 1, the first solar sail never had a chance to test its revolutionary ... 30 Sep 05 Solar Sail Update: The End of Cosmos 1; The Beginning of the Next ...

• Sailing the galaxy - Private $4 million project to use a giant Mylar solar sail the size of a 10-story building to prove concept. Compared to flight of Kittyhawk as a first step of a long process of refinement. (DiscoveryChannel.ca; May 13, 2005)
  • First Controllable Solar Sail Launched and Failed - although the launch initially looked successful, they can't seem to find it or hear it... (Slashdot; Jun 21, 2005)

Resources

• Google > Solar Sail
• Wikipedia:Solar sail
• Solar Sails - Solar sails resource site including design information and links, with news and bibliography.
• Introduction to How Solar Sails Work - Solar sails will use the sun's power to send us further into deep space. Learn how solar sails will work and where NASA is testing solar sails. (Howstuffworks)

Skeptics

• Solar Sails - Latest news July 7th, 2003 - New Scientist has published an article claiming that solar sails don't work. It is based on a web page by Dr. Thomas Gold. ...

See also

• Directory:Space Based Solar Power

GENERAL:
- Directory:Solar - index of resources
- PowerPedia:Solar Energy - Encyclopedic review of history and future
- News:Solar
- Videos:Solar
MODALITIES:
- Directory:Concentrated Solar Power
- Directory:Solar PhotoVoltaics | Directory:Home Generation:Solar PV
- Directory:Solar Thermal
- Directory:Home Generation:Solar Heating
- Directory:Thin Film Solar
- Directory:Solar:Photosynthesis Imitation
- Directory:Solar Tower
- Directory:Floating Solar Chimney
- Directory:Space Based Solar Power
- Directory:Solar Sails
INFRASTRUCTURE
- Directory:Plastic Solar Cells
- Directory:Silicon - more efficient uses, alternatives, methods
- Directory:Black Silicon
- Directory:Synchronous Solar Heliostat
- Directory:Solar:Installation and Consultation
- Directory:Solar:Largest
APPLICATIONS:
- Directory:Solar:Chargers
- Directory:Solar:Vehicles
- Directory:Solar Hydrogen
- OS:Solar Ethanol - distiller design
- Directory:Solar Pavement - black-body absorption of the asphalt