Computer Science
Scientific paper
Feb 1994
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1994jbis...47...57b&link_type=abstract
British Interplanetary Society, Journal (ISSN 0007-094X), vol. 47, no. 2, p. 57-66
Computer Science
Design Analysis, Interplanetary Flight, Orbital Maneuvers, Solar Sails, Earth Orbits, Equations Of Motion, Halley'S Comet, International Cooperation, Lumens, Lunar Orbits, Solar Orbits
Scientific paper
The idea of using the solar radiation pressure for propelling a space vehicle dates back to the 1920s and was suggested by the Russian space pioneer Konstantin Tsiolkovsky and the Russian engineer Fridrickh Arturovich Tsander. NASA began technology studies in the mid-1960s in which various design and technology requirements were examined for solar sailing vehicles without reference to specific missions. In 1977 a Jet Propulsion laboratory team undertook a 1-year study under a NASA contract to assess the practical possibilities of carrying out a rendezvous mission to Halley's Comet using a solar sail. Despite the confidence of the technical team and the completion of a valid preliminary design, NASA thought the technology of solar sailing was not sufficiently 'mature' to be implemented in time for a 1981 launch to the comet and the project was abandoned. Efforts to design and develop the solar sailing concept have been continued since then by private organizations i.e. the Union pour la Promotion de la Propulsion Photonique (U3P) in France, and the World Space Foundation in the United States. The latter has already fabricated a prototype square sail of about 700 sq m, and is seeking NASA support for flying a test vehicle. U3P is also seeking sponsorship for its design and development of solar sailing spacecraft and has proposed a race to the Moon between solar sails. In December 1988 the Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Jubilee Commission, a Presidential commission created by the Congress of the United States, approved the establishment of a Columbus 500 Space Sail Cup competition to commemorate his voyage to the Americas. The intent of the Space Sail Cup was to bring about the launch of at least three solar sail vehicles representing the Americas, Europe and Asia, selected among all the presented projects, that would have travelled from a High Earth Orbit (HEO) toward the Moon and then toward Mars. The space company then called Aeritalia Gruppo Sistemi Spaziali (today Alenia Spazio) produced the contest-winning solar sail design among the European countries.
Bevilacqua Franco
Cesare Stefano
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