Podcast 10: Solar Sail Space Travel
Image credit: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center via Flickr.com (License)
Avast ye GISTers an’ set yer compass for the stARRs!
Today, first mates Josh Marsh and Aidan McFadden traverse the choppy seas of… space? With Dr. – I mean, Cpt. – Matteo Ceriotti from the University of Glasgow at the mast, they aim to explore the potential of solar sails for space-travel. Is there treasure in store for our crew or will they be left adrift? You decide
References
– Mesopotamian sailboats
www.brighthubengineering.com
– Mariner 10 Space Probe
Wikipedia
science.nasa.gov/
– Sailing Information
Henry O’Brien
Sound references
– Bouncing Loop 113 by Corisca_S at freesound.org
Here
– Wind of Innominatus (CC BY-NC) 140325 (Here) by Innominatus (Here) at freesound.org
– on a wooden ship at sea
(Here) by LXX.70 at freesound.org
– shanti-windchimes (Here) by ayamahambho (Here) at freesound.org
– Speedboat Outboard Motors, Tidore, Indonesia (Here) by RTB45 at freesound.org
– Sounds like rain by Lavrov (Here) at freesound.org
Can you give a numerical estimate of the ratio of payload weight to sail size? I imagine the payload/space craft would have to be quite light in comparison to the sails themselves.