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Isn't that a bit like saying the solar car cross-country races show that solar-powered cars can work? In both cases the 'payload' and vehicles are stripped to t
by fooqux 2y ago
Isn't that a bit like saying the solar car cross-country races show that solar-powered cars can work? In both cases the 'payload' and vehicles are stripped to the barest essentials.
Solar sails with any significant mass attached to them would either need to be impossibly large, and/or operate on timescales that make ion propulsion seem like a warp drive. And that's not counting the issue of stopping when you get to your destination, which will either require some insane laser/power source already at your destination, or propellant- in which case you're back to just using that in the first place.
- firesteelrain 2y agoYou’re right. Solar sails need to be massive to move anything heavy, and they take a long time to build up speed. Stopping is another big hurdle. But they’re not supposed to replace everything. They’re useful when you can’t carry fuel, like on really long missions. They’re slow, but they work for what they’re designed to do: keep going without needing fuel.
- PaulHoule 2y agoFunny, a low performance solar sail is actually a high performance sunshade, you’d actually do better with a black sunshade than a highly reflective one.