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Finnish Electric Solar Sail Nears Implementation

Posted by Soulskill on from the fly-me-to-the-moon dept.

eldavojohn writes "A recent meeting held by the Finnish Meteorological Institute has resulted in plans to build an electric solar sail that will circle the Earth, gaining speed to test its acceleration. The purpose? 'A flight out of the solar system to measure the gas, dust, plasma and magnetic field in the undisturbed interstellar space would perhaps be the "flagship" thing to do,' said Pekka Janhunen, a researcher developing the sail at the FMI. The details and papers of this project (over two years in the making) are also available. I certainly hope it will show more success than the launch of the similar U.S.-Russian venture and its subsequent complete failure."

4 of 66 comments (clear)

  1. Re:They better be make the finish line... by Keruo · · Score: -1, Redundant

    >... or they be Finnished for sure... maybe be flemished, too.
    >--
    >Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"

    Wouldn't that be "Linux... Departing the Sun(rise), accelerating exponentially"?

    The physics behind the design seem plausable.
    Only question is does it run linux?

    --
    There are no atheists when recovering from tape backup.
  2. Contradictory story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Redundant

    Finnish Electric Solar Sail Nears Implementation

    Well which one is it? Are they merely near implementation or are they actually finnished?

  3. That's not how Solar Sails work... by SterlingSylver · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Everyone knows that they're used primarily as Solar collectors to power a ship's Kearny-Fujita drive. Now if someone could please invent one, my JumpShip is waiting for me.

  4. Nearing implementation? by caywen · · Score: 1, Redundant

    So, it's not Finnished yet??