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NASA Set To Launch Solar NanoSail Into Space

Posted by timothy on from the solar-powers-activate dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Earlier this year the Japanese space agency successfully deployed and used a solar sail to propel its spacecraft Ikaros, and now NASA announced plans this week for its own solar sail mission. This fall it will launch the NanoSail-D into orbit 400 miles up with a Minotaur IV rocket. Once deployed, it will orbit for 17 weeks, proving the technology and allowing astronomers to snap lots of photos."

2 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. GNAA is dead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Are you GAY?

    Are you a NIGGER?

    Are......

    Oh forget it. I hereby renounce the GNAA and everything it stands for.

    -weev

  2. Re:Proving technology that already works? by Rogerborg · · Score: -1, Troll

    If you're honestly going to pretend that you don't know that I was talking about sending off "interstallar lightsails" then you're just a filthy fucking troll. Please suck my balls then die in a fire.

    And doing what "makes sense" is exactly what's holding NASA back. Every desk in NASA should have this on a plaque:

    We choose to go to the moon in this decade, and to do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.