NASA Proposes Launch Of Solar Sail Vehicle For 2010

outcast341 writes: "Apparently, NASA plans to launch a solar sail spacecraft in the year 2010, according to this press release. The the first trip will take about 15 years, traveling about 58 miles per second. The sail will be 440 yards in width, and will be constructed of a reflective carbon-fiber material. 'This will be humankind's first planned venture outside our solar system,' said Les Johnson, manager of Interstellar Propulsion Research at the Marshall Center. 'This is a stretch goal that is among the most audacious things we've ever undertaken.'" (Read more.)

And if a mere 15 years from now and using technology that's lapping on the safe side of fringedom isn't enough to make you bite, Joseph Rosenblum reminds us, "Not news, but cool: if you havn't seen it, NASA has a Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Program that is a speculative research division looking into the technologies that will one day enable interstellar travel. There's also a 'Warp Drive, When?' FAQ!"

Comments

Ok so I had to say it...

[guran]

...traveling about 58 miles per second. The sail will be 440 yards in width...

Of course someone will think those numbers are in meters...