NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has conducted successful demonstrations of the use of microwave and laser energy to propel space sails. The tests were part of demonstrations to evaluate potential propulsion technologies for interstellar exploration.
Future spacecraft for space exploration will need to be very light and propelled by a reliable source of energy, with solar sails and microwave- and laser-beamed sails capable of meeting both requirements, says JPL.
The sails will be driven by photons - particles of energy by which sunlight and other forms of electromagnetic radiation are emitted. The laser or microwave source of energy could be provided by a satellite or other type of spacecraft, says JPL.
In the microwave experiment, conducted in a vacuum chamber at JPL's San Diego, California, site, the sail was driven to lift-off and flight. The laser-driven sails then achieved horizontal movement in a vacuum chamber at the Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio.
A total of 10kW of microwave power and 8-14kW of laser power were beamed to the sails. The carbon-carbon microtruss fabric of the sails is very light, but stiff, and capable of withstanding high temperatures, says JPL.
German space agency DLR and the European Space Agency have been investigating the potential of solar sails for propelling spacecraft for some time. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center is also developing solar sail technologies.
Source: Flight International
