Changes in solar navigation

2001/05/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Garraioak

The ship that will sail through the momentum of the photons of the Sun, once launched into space, must open some great blades to begin the journey (see Elhuyar Zientzia eta Teknika 164, 23-25. p. ). In the first design of the container the fins were rolled up and opened inflating the tubes it has as support. It has been studied by simulations if this process is effective in zero gravity. The results indicate that it is very difficult to control the expansion and, according to experts, anything can happen if sessions are held in space.

Therefore, a more controlled expansion method has been designed. The blades will be folded in the initial phase as an accordion. This will facilitate the enlargement process. This new method has also been simulated in zero gravity and has been a success.