Tag Archives: Solar sail

Solar-powered LightSail spacecraft is ready for its second flight

Posted on by
When the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launches this summer, it will carry the Planetary Society's Carl Sagan-inspired LightSail 2. You may remember LightSail as a crowdfunded, experimental "solar sail." The unique craft looks something like a giant kit...

Smartphones to weigh less than a Dime?

Posted on by

You may not have heard of them before, but I can tell you that Aerogels are cool. They are ultra-porous materials that are whipped up from silica gel or even aluminum oxide and may weigh just...

Shoebox-Sized CubeSats Crucial To Future Of Planetary Science

Posted on by

CubeSat technology on the order of a magnitude smaller and cheaper than conventional planetary science satellites should make its debut in lunar orbit as early as 2017. Although such nano-satellite...

ESA’s New Gossamer Sail System Aims To Float Dangerous Space Junk To A Fiery Death

Posted on by

Anyone who’s seen the Oscar-baiting visual spectacle that is Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, knows in vivid 3D detail just how dangerous space debris can be. Leaving aside the...