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The IKAROS solar-powered spacecraft launched by the Japanese space agency JAXA is officially propelling through space using only solar energy.
After a successful launch on May 21, the craft's 3,000-square-foot sail unfurled without incident and today it was confirmed that IKAROS was harnessing the sun's rays and speeding through space. The team of scientists back on the ground will control the craft's velocity by changing the angle of the sail, which will maximize or minimize the amount of radiation hitting the solar cells.
The team measured the thrust from the solar light pressure at 1.12 mili-Newton, which is what they expected. You can check out JAXA's press release here for charts of the craft's acceleration and more details.
The IKAROS is the first fully solar-powered space craft to attempt to reach deep space.
via Inhabitat
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written by tee are, July 19, 2010
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written by Jack, July 20, 2010
written by tee are, July 19, 2010
how long will the solar power last if the spacecraft in the space for a long time?
...No it won't last but it will fade eventually due to distance traveling away from the sun. Their solution (from what i have learned - DISCOVERY CHANNEL) is that they will bombard this with laser that is generated from the spacecraft itself. Pardon me if my idea i got was wrong (just sharing though). Thanks...
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written by infrared camera, July 27, 2010
Very, very cool. Sounds like a tiny sail and craft, but still really interesting stuff. I know they've also theorized about powering these from earth-based lasers, but I don't see any mention of that. Thanks or the write up.
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written by Jesse W, July 28, 2010
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check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_sail for more info