Solar Sailing ➶

A small spacecraft in orbit around Earth has managed to increase the height of its orbit using light from the sun only. Flight by light!

Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye:

Carl Sagan talked about solar sailing when I was in his class in 1977. But the idea goes back at least to 1607, when Johannes Kepler noticed that comet tails must be created by energy from the Sun. The LightSail 2 mission is a game-changer for spaceflight and advancing space exploration.

You may be able to see the spacecraft overhead at dusk or dawn.

✶ Thursday, 1 August 2019

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