Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light?

From	Sylvia Else <sylvia@not.at.this.address>
Newsgroups	sci.physics
Subject	Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light?
Date	2016-01-22 16:30 +1100
Message-ID	<dgdt3fFobdsU1@mid.individual.net> (permalink)
References	<GO-dnQAcDtfmxjzLnZ2dnUU7-VednZ2d@giganews.com> <lv58nc-c2m.ln1@mail.specsol.com>

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On 22/01/2016 10:25 AM, jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com wrote:
> Sam Wormley <swormley1@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Can you push a spacecraft with light?
>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIuvIDhcs8E
>>
>>
>>> What if you could power a ship using sunlight instead of wind? Well
>>> in space, you can! Solar sails or light sails are pushed with light
>>> from the sun. Photons provide a kick when they reflect off the sail
>>> pushing the sail like an air molecule in the wind pushes a sailboat.
>>> Find out how a solar sail works and about the future of this
>>> technology!
>
> Ancient news and childishly simplistic; real sails are airfoils.
>
Probably best not to use aerofoils in this application. They wouldn't 
work at all well.

The best solar sail has a mirror surface and is completely flat. In 
practice, some compromise on the flatness will almost certainly be made 
for engineering reasons.

Sylvia.

Thread

Can you push a spacecraft with light? Sam Wormley <swormley1@gmail.com> - 2016-01-21 16:28 -0600
  Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? "reber g=emc^2" <herbertglazier0@gmail.com> - 2016-01-21 14:40 -0800
    Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? benj <none@gmail.com> - 2016-01-21 20:45 -0500
    Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? "hanson" <hanson@quick.net> - 2016-01-21 21:35 -0800
  Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com - 2016-01-21 23:25 +0000
    Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? Sylvia Else <sylvia@not.at.this.address> - 2016-01-22 16:30 +1100
      Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com - 2016-01-22 05:46 +0000
      Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? benj <none@gmail.com> - 2016-01-22 07:05 -0500
        Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? Sylvia Else <sylvia@not.at.this.address> - 2016-01-22 23:28 +1100
    Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? Mahipal <mahipal7638@gmail.com> - 2016-01-22 14:25 -0800
    Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? Sam Wormley <swormley1@gmail.com> - 2016-01-23 10:03 -0600
      Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com - 2016-01-23 19:08 +0000
  Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? Peter Riedt <riedt1@yahoo.co.uk> - 2016-01-21 20:15 -0800
    Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? benj <none@gmail.com> - 2016-01-22 07:02 -0500
    Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? Sam Wormley <swormley1@gmail.com> - 2016-01-22 09:35 -0600
      Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? pnalsing@gmail.com - 2016-01-22 13:19 -0800
  Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? "reber g=emc^2" <herbertglazier0@gmail.com> - 2016-01-22 12:57 -0800
    Re: Can you push a spacecraft with light? "hanson" <hanson@quick.net> - 2016-01-22 14:45 -0800

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