MARK GARLICK / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY MARK GARLICK / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Animation of a solar sail approaching the Earth. Also known as photon sails or light sails, these are a method of spacecraft propulsion, which uses the pressure of the Sun's radiation to push the payload. They use no propellant. Although the acceleration is low, over time this accumulates, making this an effect means of propulsion over long distances. The sails are typically sheets of plastic coated in a thin layer of aluminium.
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