#lightsails — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #lightsails, aggregated by home.social.
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Direct radiation pressure measurements for lightsail membranes: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41566-024-01605-w.epdf?sharing_token=0nPl5PM1FukXuQJmwY14EdRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0Nvm16bAPVzmsYDI3HKQzt26ewGXFTawghQZHa7SDzCweOT2OM-geSmAGCxshc6rjQFD0MpfEoCgP3RYwXoRwKFq89sebXWdmdmoLytEwVNqgBFXxwvBtHcMC7o6ksg6g_YJ4LvzXSit0hE1fJHUcTmeAXt9hVAGQrOTQgby8aLUloBLtUGJIlQOJkqa2CgkUk7kqfysGpwdEwDqioVQYXalA1qPLu0SN1zh_955H2nTh0um8WCWu7FdCA8ECKvfa9b4JX-51O0TV-VE0aBASzZ43feGsyP0gRm6DYXNBrnpQ%3D%3D&tracking_referrer=gizmodo.com -> Caltech Researchers Take First Experimental Steps Toward #Lightsails that Could Reach Distant Star Systems: https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/the-pressure-to-explore-caltech-researchers-take-first-experimental-steps-toward-lightsails-that-could-reach-distant-star-systems
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Europa and Enceladus are the Perfect Targets for a Lightsail Mission
Although lightsails have been proposed as the best way to reach the nearest star system, they also have practical applications within the Solar System. A new paper examines the best nearby targets for exploration and suggests that Europa and Enceladus are the ideal starting points. According to the paper's calculations, a 100 kg probe accelerated by a GigaWatt laser at 30 km/s could reach Europa in 1-4 years and Enceladus in 3-6 years. These would be flybys, but the spacecraft should be able to detect the presence of amino acids as they fly through the icy plumes.
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Europa and Enceladus are the Perfect Targets for a LIghtsail Mission
Although lightsails have been proposed as the best way to reach the nearest star system, they also have practical applications within the Solar System. A new paper examines the best nearby targets for exploration and suggests that Europa and Enceladus are the ideal starting points. According to the paper's calculations, a 100 kg probe accelerated by a GigaWatt laser at 30 km/s could reach Europa in 1-4 years and Enceladus in 3-6 years. These would be flybys, but the spacecraft should be able to detect the presence of amino acids as they fly through the icy plumes.