I first read about this idea in Larry Niven's A mote in God's eye, so it's a pretty old idea (as such things go). There's a donation-funded organisation, the Planetary Society, that tried to do a similar experiment nearly ten years ago, but the rocket failed on launch. Now they've finally scraped enough cash to try a variant on the experiment.
I'm kind of excited, but I also realize we could have had results from this experiment nearly ten years ago. I like the idea of the Planetary Society, where our private efforts actually help propel us along towards the future.
Planetary Society to launch solar sail test flight in May
I'm kind of excited, but I also realize we could have had results from this experiment nearly ten years ago. I like the idea of the Planetary Society, where our private efforts actually help propel us along towards the future.
Planetary Society to launch solar sail test flight in May
Solar sails are designed to capture the momentum from solar energy photons using large, mirrored surfaces. The small, continuous acceleration allows a spacecraft propelled by solar sails to reach high speeds over time.