Wonderful Sci-Fi story, read on web
Just read another news item about the Planetary Society's successful experiment with Solar Sail propelled spacecraft earlier this year.
I love the idea, and fondly recall one of my favourite Arthur Clarke Novels, titled "The Solar Wind", whci I read many years ago.
Searched for it, and found a complete post of the "Sunjammer"short story originally published by Clarke, which was further expanded into the novel.
Read it here and enjoy. 😉
https://bookzone.boyslife.org/arthur-c-clarke/
see also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunjammer
Wonderful Sci-Fi story, read on web
"Solar Sailing
Light is made of packets of energy called photons. While photons have no mass, they have momentum. Solar sails capture this momentum with sheets of large, reflective material such as Mylar. As photons bounce off the sail, most of their momentum is transferred, speeding up the sail in the direction opposite the bouncing light.
Unlike chemical rockets that provide short, powerful bursts of thrust, solar sails provide continuous, slight thrust and can reach higher speeds over time. Sunlight is free and unlimited, whereas rocket propellant must be carried into orbit and be stored onboard a spacecraft."
The Planetary Society's LightSail project.
https://www.planetary.org/explore/projects/lightsail-solar-sailing/
