NASA to Test Innovative, Rollable Solar Sail to Enable Future Deep Space Missions
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NASA is launching a new solar sail spacecraft called ACS3 to test a lightweight, compact boom design made of carbon fiber and polymers. This could support larger, more effective solar sails in the future.
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Solar sails use sunlight for propulsion and can operate for a very long time without fuel. But they need large surface areas supported by lightweight booms.
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ACS3's booms can roll up small but deploy to 7 meters across. The sail area will be 80 square meters, much bigger than previous solar sails.
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If successful, the boom design could be used for future large solar sails to enable new types of long-duration space missions.
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The technology also has applications on Earth, like structural frameworks for lunar/Mars habitats and communication systems.