Fall

Solar Sails
John A. Martin Jr.
Physics 1010

Martin|[email protected]

08

Martin|2
John A. Martin Jr.
Prof. Howard Demars
Physics 1010
07/21/2015
Topical Term Paper

Solar Sails
A Solar Sail is defined as a sail-like device constructed of lightweight, reflective
material that when connected to a spacecraft propels the spacecraft by using energy from
light particles from the Sun.
Four hundred years ago Johannes Kepler presented the idea of space exploration
using sails. After observing a comet tail being blown around by a solar breeze, Kepler
envisioned a spacecraft with attached sails catching wind from the sun that would propel
it through space. In 1921, the renowned Russian physicist, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky began
investigating the concept of using photon pressure for propulsion. In 1924, Tsiolkovky
and Fridrikh Tsander wrote that they were working on the idea of flying (in
interplanetary space) using tremendous mirrors of very thin sheets and utilizing the
force of sunlight to attain cosmic velocities. The term solar sailing originated in the
1950s but Arthur C. Clarke popularized the phrase in his short story Sun-jammer (The
Wind From the Sun) in 1964. NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration) employed a technique similar to solar sails to prolong the use of Mariner
10 spacecraft in 1974-1975. Mariner 10 was going off course as a result of a
malfunctioning control system. The problem was corrected by adjusting the position of
the spacecraft and the angle of the solar panels toward the Sun. This action eliminated the

Martin|3
problem of using the limited fuel supply. No longer considered science fiction, solar sails
are being considered a source of propulsion in the near future.
How do Solar Sails work? Sunlight reflects off the surface of the sail attached to a
spacecraft. The energy and momentum of the sunlight particles (photons) are reflected
back in the direction from which they came. The photons loose some of their energy to
the sail as the light particles bounce off. This reaction transfers momentum and gives the
sail a push in the opposite direction. Since there are an infinite number of sunlight
photons continuously shoving the sail there is continuous acceleration of the spacecraft.
Over time greater velocity is achieved in comparison to conventional rocket power. Solar
sails will provide propulsion of spacecraft through the solar system without heavy
weighted rocket engines and astronomical fuel consumption.
For practical use a solar sail must have the following characteristics: large, lightweight, durable and heat resistant. The larger the area, the greater the force attained from
the sunlight. The lower the mass, the more acceleration the sunlight provides.
Temperature fluctuations, charged particles and micrometeoroid hazards will stress the
sail. To minimize problems and conform to these guidelines most solar sails are
constructed of thin, metal-coated durable plastics such as Mylar or Kapton.
Navigation of a solar-sail spacecraft involves two factors: the direction of the
solar sail in relation to the sun and the orbital speed of the spacecraft. When the angle of
the sail is changed in respect to the sun, the force exerted by the sunlight is changed. The
farther away from the sun the less pressure the sun provides. Therefore, greater pressure
is produced closer to the sun. In the future solar-sail spacecraft may utilize this fact by
first orbiting close to the sun to use the greater sunlight pressure to get an acceleration

4|Martin
boost at the start of a mission. This is called a powered perihelion maneuver. In the
future the speed of an interplanetary solar sail spacecraft will depend on how long it has
been pushed by the energy of the sun. The acceleration the sun provides is minimal, about
5 ten-thousandths of a meter per second per second, depending on the weight and size
of the sail and spacecraft. In a day, that is a 45 meters per second increase in velocity.
The biggest advantage of solar sail propulsion is that photons from sunlight
continuously apply thrust as apposed to a chemical rocket that applies enormous thrust
for only an instance. The solar sail requires no fuel because its propellant is sunlight.
Today spacecraft use chemical rockets to give a quick boost of acceleration into Earths
orbit and then move quickly toward its destination. The rocket propelled spacecraft then
coasts to its destination with the use of a few blasts from the thrusters to maintain its
course. This process uses a lot of fuel. While a solar sails provides a low thrust, it works
continuously pushing the spacecraft faster, gradually gaining speed as the sun continues
to apply force on it. Eventually, regardless of how fast the rocket spacecraft goes, it will
run out of power (fuel). However, the solar sail spacecraft will never run out of fuel
because it relies on the power of the sun. In addition, the solar-sail craft has the potential
to make a round trip while the rocket- powered craft would not have enough fuel to
return.
So, if NASA launched a solar sail propelled interstellar probe, it would only take
eight years to overtake Voyager 1, which has been traveling for more than twenty years.
NASA could increase speeds from 56mi/sec to 18,600 mi/sec by adding a laser or
magnetic beam transmitter. At speeds that fast, interstellar travel would be almost

Martin|5
guaranteed. Although both NASA and the European Space Agency are establishing solar
sail programs, an actual mission has not completed.
Recently the Planetary Society, the worlds largest non-profit space advocacy
group, has been conducting its own trials with solar sailing and built a solar sail
spacecraft called Light Sail. In May 2015 the organization coupled with an Atlas V for a
test flight. The deployment sequence was tested and proved successful. In 2016, a Light
Sail is scheduled to be enclosed in a small satellite and then lifted into orbit by Falcon
Heavy, a privately built spacecraft. A nearby satellite will be nearby to capture images of
the first solar sail flight.
Eventually, solar sail technology will play a significant role in long-distance space
missions. It is only a matter of time, energy and momentum.

6|Martin

Bibliography
Bonsor, Kevin, How Solar Sails Work, Science, web 2015/07/20
http://science.howstuffworks.com/solar-sail1.htm

Dictionary.com, Solar Sail. Dictionary.com, web 2015/07/20

Discover, What are Solar Sails? Discover Solar Energy, 2013/04/02 web 2015/07/20
www.discoversolarenergy.com/solar/sails.html

Encyclopedia of Science, Tsander, Fridrikh Arturovitch (1887-1933), Encyclopedia of

Fox, Stuart, How Do Solar Sails Work? Live Science, 2010/05/17 web 2015/07/20
www.livescience.com/32593-how-do-solar-sails-work.html

Freudenrich Ph.D., Craig, How Solar Sail Technology Works, HowStuffWorks, web
2015/07/20 http://www.howstuffworks.com/solarsail.html

Hollerman, William Andrew, The Physics of Solar Sails, NASA, 2002 web 2015/07/20
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20030093608.pdf

Martin|7
NASA, Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky, NASA, 2010/09/22 web 2015/07/20
www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/rocketry/home/konstantin_tsiolkovsky.html

Nye, Bill, Solar Sailing: Flight by Light, The Planetary Society, web 2015/07/20
http://sail.planetary.org

Tripod, The Physics of Solar Sailing, Tripod, web 2015/07/20