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NASA Solar Sail Lost In Space

Posted by samzenpus on from the never-to-sail-again dept.

An anonymous reader writes "According to Spaceflight Now: 'NASA has not heard from the experimental NanoSail-D miniature solar sail in nearly a week, prompting officials to wonder if the craft actually deployed from a larger mother satellite despite initial indications it ejected as designed.' NanoSail-D's spring-ejection was indicated at 1:31 a.m. EST Monday, leading to a predicted release of the spacecraft's sail membrane around 1:30 a.m. EST Thursday."

8 of 111 comments (clear)

  1. Long gone by MichaelSmith · · Score: 4, Funny

    Maybe it worked too well -D

    --
    http://michaelsmith.id.au
  2. Reason by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The reason it was lost is that it forgot to tack in a particularly bad solar wind.

  3. More like a ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... Solar Fail!

    Ha ha! Ha ha! ... *vomits*

  4. Gone with the (solar) wind by sourcerror · · Score: 4, Funny

    Gone with the (solar) wind

  5. Fucking Martians nicked it. by Arancaytar · · Score: 4, Funny

    They're always stealing or breaking our stuff, those jerks.

  6. Re:Meanwhile in a /. a few lightyears away by MichaelSmith · · Score: 4, Funny

    They are going to be confused when they find out that NASA is a brand of lubricants in Malaysia.

    --
    http://michaelsmith.id.au
  7. not exactly rocket science by jandoedel · · Score: 5, Funny

    Solar sails are not exactly rocket science...

  8. Re:pics or it didn't happen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    God damn it, you're right. I wish they hired people like you at NASA, instead of those brain dead twits. A camera? Brilliant. No one ever thought of that. Thank god for /. armchair rocket scientists!