SD_Ryoko
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In an effort to promote space exploration, a private group plans today to launch the first spacecraft to sail in Earth orbit on the solar wind.
If successful, the mission will provide scientific proof for a concept that has captivated science fiction for decades - that ships can travel great distances across the heavens under the power of giant solar sails nudged by the faint energy of light itself.
The satellite, called Cosmos 1, was built in Russia to the specifications of the Planetary Society, a group based in Pasadena, Calif., that raised almost $4 million for the project.
The spacecraft is to be launched at 3:46 p.m. Eastern time from a submerged Russian submarine in the Barents Sea. Cosmos 1 is to be carried into a near circular polar orbit atop a three-stage Volna rocket, a ballistic missile converted for commercial use.
If it reaches orbit, 500 miles above the Earth, Cosmos 1 will then try to extend eight triangular sail blades, each almost 50 feet long, giving the craft the appearance of a giant silver windmill. Over a period of weeks, controllers hope to stir the sails to gather enough sunshine to change the spacecraft's orbit.
Planetary Society Website
If successful, the mission will provide scientific proof for a concept that has captivated science fiction for decades - that ships can travel great distances across the heavens under the power of giant solar sails nudged by the faint energy of light itself.
The satellite, called Cosmos 1, was built in Russia to the specifications of the Planetary Society, a group based in Pasadena, Calif., that raised almost $4 million for the project.
The spacecraft is to be launched at 3:46 p.m. Eastern time from a submerged Russian submarine in the Barents Sea. Cosmos 1 is to be carried into a near circular polar orbit atop a three-stage Volna rocket, a ballistic missile converted for commercial use.
If it reaches orbit, 500 miles above the Earth, Cosmos 1 will then try to extend eight triangular sail blades, each almost 50 feet long, giving the craft the appearance of a giant silver windmill. Over a period of weeks, controllers hope to stir the sails to gather enough sunshine to change the spacecraft's orbit.
Planetary Society Website
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