Cosmos 1 - Solar Sailing Outta This World
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 06.13.05
On 21 June 2005 a Russian submarine will fire an intercontential ballistic missile (ICBM). But there is no need to rush for the backyard bunker. The missile’s payload will be Cosmos 1, the world's first solar sail spacecraft. This will be deployed into Earths’s orbit, where It will unfurl eight massive sails, which it is hoped will propel the ship by sunlight, as photons bounce against the reflective fabric. The scientists and enthusiastic others that make up the joint project partners: The Planetary Society and Cosmos Studios, expect the unpersoned Cosmos 1 to be visible with the naked eye. It’s fantastic to see solar technology being taken to such heights. Let's also apply this degree of creativity to our transportation problems here, on the one planet that we know sustains life. ::Cosmos 1 Mission Tracking Site
