NASA begins testing electronic sail technology for deep space probes
It took Voyager 1 over 30 years to reach interstellar space, but scientists at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, are testing a new technology that could cut that time by two thirds. The Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System (HERTS) or E-sail concept is a novel form of propellant-less propulsion that relies on a series of wires to catch the solar winds. The technology promises to reduce the travel time from Earth to the heliopause – about 123 AU (18 billion km, 11 billion mi) from the Sun – to under 10 years.
.. Continue Reading NASA begins testing electronic sail technology for deep space probes
Category: Space
Tags:
Solar Sail
NASA
Related Articles:
NASA to fly largest solar sail ever, in 2014
NASA Sunjammer solar sail prepares to shoot the breeze
"Sailing" spaceship could make return trips to Mars easier
LightSail probe back on line
Juno Jupiter probe sets solar-powered space distance record
LightSail successfully deploys solar sail
No comments:
Post a Comment