Solar sails

August 10, 2004 4:52 PM

Space age origami. JAXA successfully launched and unfurled two solar sails in space.
posted by homunculus (6 comments total)

I'm experiencing a serious Tron flashback here. Beware the Master Control Program.

I wonder if it's strong enough to handle contact with any of those dust-sized meteoroids zipping around up there.

Or larger ones, for that matter.
posted by dakotadusk at 5:14 PM on August 10, 2004

Very cool, homunculus! Very Tron and oh so very Japanese, as well.
posted by shoepal at 8:44 PM on August 10, 2004

I thought this was supposed to be the first?
posted by rushmc at 10:15 PM on August 10, 2004

rushmc - they talked about that a bit in the article

In the United States, the Planetary Society's solar sail has been plagued by technical difficulties. Earlier this year, the society's director Louis Friedman announced that their sail would not launch before November this year.
posted by nyoki at 12:15 AM on August 11, 2004

Hmm, missed that, thanks. Funny how the blurb I linked doesn't even mention the fact that anyone else is working on this sort of project, much less going to beat them to the punch.
posted by rushmc at 7:00 AM on August 11, 2004

Jeff Bridges at the helm, please!
posted by weston at 2:54 PM on August 11, 2004