Uploaded May 2017 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
While the idea of using the sun’s energy as a source of propulsion is not new, it was only with the first successful solar sail demonstration in 2010 that the idea became a reality. Solar sails have been proposed for use in extraplanetary voyages throughout the solar system, delivering cargo loads and human assets to space stations. Modern spaceflight is limited by the power of rocket engines and the amount of fuel a spacecraft can carry. However, solar sails provide a solution by allowing propellant free transportation. The material, therefore must be able to withstand the uncertainty of and move through space using the optical pressure from the rays of the sun or high energy laser beams. With the increased publicity and popularity of SpaceX as well as the idea of a colony on Mars, solar sails could be the immediate solution to lowering dead loads on spacecrafts as amounts of fuel needed to traverse large distances would be severely reduced.
The most common use of solar energy is a solar panel converting photons to electricity; therefore, learning that solar sails use photons as a method of propulsion was an incredibly interesting idea. Solar sails utilize radiation pressure due to the electromagnetic waves produced by the sun. Photons reflect off the sail with a small percentage being absorbed. This fact makes solar sails extremely efficient as most of the photons that come in contact with the surface collide elastically and give additional momentum to the sail. While solar radiation may provide a relatively small push on the spacecraft, the continuous push from the photons will accelerate the aircraft, making high speeds possible.
We will examine the materials used to construct and utilize Solar Sails. The video will discuss how solar sails work and the properties that make solar sails possible. We will explore the plausibility of implementation into existing and future spacecrafts as well as the extent of a solar sail’s efficiency, with an ideal solar sail being perfectly flat with 100% specular reflection meaning the complete elimination of photon absorption by the sail. We will also discuss possible improvements such as the elimination of curvature, wrinkles and cheapening the materials needed for construction and maintenance. Another topic to be considered will be imperative problems such as deceleration after significant momentum is achieved as well as ensuring the sail does not tear when coming into contact with micrometeorites and other undetectable spatial debris.
By Colton Sheehan, Hamza Kakeh, Jane Long, Meaghan McGowan
Works Cited:
images.nasa.gov/#/details-CubeSat%20Mission-%20Near-Earth%20Asteroid%20Scout%20(animation%20only,%20no%20audio).html
longwallpapers.com/Desktop-Wallpaper/rocket-wallpapers-background-For-Desktop-Wallpaper.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7lQjnPl.jpg
popularmechanics.com/space/deep-space/a6407/4346578
http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/ask/268-How-much-did-the-Space-Shuttle-weigh-
news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/02/160202-solar-sail-space-nasa-exploration
planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/sites/lightsail/images/homebg.jpg
nanowerk.com/nanotechnology/introduction/introduction_to_nanotechnology_22.php
intechopen.com/books/carbon-nanotubes/carbon-nanotube-membrane-solar-sails-a-challenge-for-extremely-fast-space-flight
planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/sites/lightsail/images/homebg.jpg
universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/solar-sail.jpg
ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20000059207.pdf
orbitalvector.com/Deep%20Space%20Propulsion/Solar%20Sails/Solar%20Sails.htm
intechopen.com/books/carbon-nanotubes/carbon-nanotube-membrane-solar-sails-a-challenge-for-extremely-fast-space-flight
forbes.com/sites/jillianscudder/2016/07/23/astroquizzical-solar-sails-work/#1707bb461d36
lunarsail.com/solar-sails
news.nationalgeographic.com/content/dam/news/2016/02/03/solar_sail/05solar_sail.adapt.1190.1.jpg
space.com/26011-solar-sail-tech-space-exploration.htmlhttp://www.centauri-dreams.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/gossamer_512.jpg
http://www.niac.usra.edu/files/studies/final_report/333Christensen.pdfhttps://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20000059207.pdf
https://www.a-star.edu.sg/portals/61/images/Research/MSE/msefig2.png
While the idea of using the sun’s energy as a source of propulsion is not new, it was only with the first successful solar sail demonstration in 2010 that the idea became a reality. Solar sails have been proposed for use in extraplanetary voyages throughout the solar system, delivering cargo loads and human assets to space stations. Modern spaceflight is limited by the power of rocket engines and the amount of fuel a spacecraft can carry. However, solar sails provide a solution by allowing propellant free transportation. The material, therefore must be able to withstand the uncertainty of and move through space using the optical pressure from the rays of the sun or high energy laser beams. With the increased publicity and popularity of SpaceX as well as the idea of a colony on Mars, solar sails could be the immediate solution to lowering dead loads on spacecrafts as amounts of fuel needed to traverse large distances would be severely reduced.
The most common use of solar energy is a solar panel converting photons to electricity; therefore, learning that solar sails use photons as a method of propulsion was an incredibly interesting idea. Solar sails utilize radiation pressure due to the electromagnetic waves produced by the sun. Photons reflect off the sail with a small percentage being absorbed. This fact makes solar sails extremely efficient as most of the photons that come in contact with the surface collide elastically and give additional momentum to the sail. While solar radiation may provide a relatively small push on the spacecraft, the continuous push from the photons will accelerate the aircraft, making high speeds possible.
We will examine the materials used to construct and utilize Solar Sails. The video will discuss how solar sails work and the properties that make solar sails possible. We will explore the plausibility of implementation into existing and future spacecrafts as well as the extent of a solar sail’s efficiency, with an ideal solar sail being perfectly flat with 100% specular reflection meaning the complete elimination of photon absorption by the sail. We will also discuss possible improvements such as the elimination of curvature, wrinkles and cheapening the materials needed for construction and maintenance. Another topic to be considered will be imperative problems such as deceleration after significant momentum is achieved as well as ensuring the sail does not tear when coming into contact with micrometeorites and other undetectable spatial debris.
By Colton Sheehan, Hamza Kakeh, Jane Long, Meaghan McGowan
Works Cited:
images.nasa.gov/#/details-CubeSat%20Mission-%20Near-Earth%20Asteroid%20Scout%20(animation%20only,%20no%20audio).html
longwallpapers.com/Desktop-Wallpaper/rocket-wallpapers-background-For-Desktop-Wallpaper.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7lQjnPl.jpg
popularmechanics.com/space/deep-space/a6407/4346578
http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/ask/268-How-much-did-the-Space-Shuttle-weigh-
news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/02/160202-solar-sail-space-nasa-exploration
planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/sites/lightsail/images/homebg.jpg
nanowerk.com/nanotechnology/introduction/introduction_to_nanotechnology_22.php
intechopen.com/books/carbon-nanotubes/carbon-nanotube-membrane-solar-sails-a-challenge-for-extremely-fast-space-flight
planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/sites/lightsail/images/homebg.jpg
universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/solar-sail.jpg
ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20000059207.pdf
orbitalvector.com/Deep%20Space%20Propulsion/Solar%20Sails/Solar%20Sails.htm
intechopen.com/books/carbon-nanotubes/carbon-nanotube-membrane-solar-sails-a-challenge-for-extremely-fast-space-flight
forbes.com/sites/jillianscudder/2016/07/23/astroquizzical-solar-sails-work/#1707bb461d36
lunarsail.com/solar-sails
news.nationalgeographic.com/content/dam/news/2016/02/03/solar_sail/05solar_sail.adapt.1190.1.jpg
space.com/26011-solar-sail-tech-space-exploration.htmlhttp://www.centauri-dreams.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/gossamer_512.jpg
http://www.niac.usra.edu/files/studies/final_report/333Christensen.pdfhttps://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20000059207.pdf
https://www.a-star.edu.sg/portals/61/images/Research/MSE/msefig2.png
