NanoSail D2
AI Summary1 min read
TL;DR
In 2011, NASA's NanoSail-D2 became the first solar sail in low Earth orbit, using sunlight pressure for thrust. It was visible from Earth and captured in detailed images via manual telescope tracking.
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NanoSail-D2solar sailNASAspacecraftlow Earth orbit
NanoSail-D2
Image Credit & Copyright: Ralf Vandebergh
Explanation: In 2011, on January 20, NASA's NanoSail-D2 unfurled a very thin and very reflective 10 square meter sail becoming the first solar sail spacecraft in low Earth orbit. Often considered the stuff of science fiction, sailing through space was suggested 400 years ago by astronomer Johannes Kepler, who had observed comet tails blown by the solar wind. But modern solar sail spacecraft designs, like NanoSail-D2, Japan's interplanetary spacecraft IKAROS, or the Planetary Society's Lightsail A, rely on the small but continuous pressure from sunlight itself for thrust. Glinting in the sunlight as it circled planet Earth, NanoSail-D2's solar sail was periodically bright and visible to the eye. These remarkably detailed images were captured by manually tracking the orbiting solar sail spacecraft with a small telescope.