Comments on: Spacecraft That Sails on Sunshine Aims for Lift-Off in 2010 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/11/10/spacecraft-that-sails-on-sunshine-will-take-off-in-2010/ 80beats is DISCOVER\'s news aggregator, weaving together the choicest tidbits from the best articles covering the day\'s most compelling topics. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 09:18:20 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Ron Bennett http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/11/10/spacecraft-that-sails-on-sunshine-will-take-off-in-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-66922 Ron Bennett Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:05:57 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=5627#comment-66922 Imagine what these things could do with focused light, like beamed energy, where you can get a beam that is 1,000 suns -- 1,000 times the same amount of solar radiation per m² at earths distance from the sun. The sail would use carbon nanotubes that can take the heat. Once they proof test this out beamed energy will be the next important test. A way to get more solar radiation is to get close enough to the sun without over heating before the sail is unfurled, about as close as Mercury 8 to 10 suns... See Beamed Energy here: http://shineinnovations.com/6112.html Imagine what these things could do with focused light, like beamed energy, where you can get a beam that is 1,000 suns — 1,000 times the same amount of solar radiation per m² at earths distance from the sun. The sail would use carbon nanotubes that can take the heat.

Once they proof test this out beamed energy will be the next important test. A way to get more solar radiation is to get close enough to the sun without over heating before the sail is unfurled, about as close as Mercury 8 to 10 suns…

See Beamed Energy here:

http://shineinnovations.com/6112.html

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