Solar sailing, to be exact. For a while now, we’ve been told that NASA is incompetent, and that the only successful leaps we make in space exploration will be privately funded. Well, maybe the first solar sail mission is just what we need to get more private organizations thinking about space flight.
Solar sailing is accomplished with, surprise, solar energy, rather than wind. Helicopter-like blades react to the presence of light in such a way as to propel the vehicle without fuel. The explorer will be launched not in the conventional NASA method, but from a Russian submarine. Should be interesting to see just how successful this project turns out to be.
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