Comments on: Solar sails

Solar sails

homunculus — Tue, 10 Aug 2004 16:52:27 -0800

Space age origami. JAXA successfully launched and unfurled two solar sails in space.

By: dakotadusk

dakotadusk — Tue, 10 Aug 2004 17:14:43 -0800

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.

By: shoepal

shoepal — Tue, 10 Aug 2004 20:44:06 -0800

Very cool, homunculus! Very Tron and oh so very Japanese, as well.

By: rushmc

rushmc — Tue, 10 Aug 2004 22:15:47 -0800

I thought this was supposed to be the first?

By: nyoki

nyoki — Wed, 11 Aug 2004 00:15:12 -0800

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.

By: rushmc

rushmc — Wed, 11 Aug 2004 07:00:04 -0800

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.

By: weston

weston — Wed, 11 Aug 2004 14:54:48 -0800

Jeff Bridges at the helm, please!