[QUOTE]May. 25, 2010 | 12:32 PDT | 19:32 UTC
JAXA has posted a short [URL=http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2010/05/20100524_ikaros_e.html]update[/URL] on their solar sailcraft IKAROS, stating:
[QUOTE][B] IKAROS moves to Verification Experiment Phase[/B]
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) completed the initial operation check....We will take a few weeks to carry out the first verification experiments, namely deployment of the solar sail and solar power generation by thin film solar cells.[/QUOTE]
My interpretation of this update (and let me be clear, this is just an interpretation, based on no more information than what I posted above) is that the all the instrument and systems checkouts have been completed, and the spacecraft is operating normally; so now they are ready to proceed toward the delicate operation of sail deployment.
JAXA posted this graphic along with the update. It seems to indicate that "deployment start" has been "completed," but I'm not sure exactly what "deployment start" means in this context! I can't imagine that, given the content of the text update, the sails have actually been deployed.
[IMG]http://planetary.org/image/20100524_ikaros_e_lg.jpg[/IMG]
[URL=http://planetary.org/image/20100524_ikaros_e.jpg]Click to enlarge >[/URL]
[B]IKAROS mission outline[/B]
Credit: JAXA
Meanwhile, on May 21, the student-built Venus-bound spacecraft Shin-en (UNITEC-1)'s operators reported that its signal had been received.
[/QUOTE]
Source: [url]http://planetary.org/blog/article/00002510/[/url]
This is the first ever flight of an interplanetary solar sail, so I'll try to keep Facepunch updated on what happens with the probe, for the sake of SCIENCE! :science:
i wonder how the solar sail would perform for earth-moon and moon-earth sailing
Read title and thought it was an AI. :tinfoil:
[QUOTE=fskman;22170997]Read title and thought it was an AI. :tinfoil:[/QUOTE]
IKAROS
ICARUS
[img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1305/804835061_447279bb73.jpg[/img]
whhoaaaaaagghhhhh
[QUOTE=Archy;22171054]IKAROS
ICARUS[/QUOTE]
Ikaros is how you say is Icarus in Japanese
[URL="http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A4%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AB%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B9"]Japanese Wiki[/URL]
[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icarus"]... if you click on the English link on the left[/URL]
6 months to get to Venus using a solar sail? That's amazing.
Every time I think of solar sails, I think of,
[URL=http://filesmelt.com/][IMG]http://filesmelt.com/dl/SolarSailing.png[/IMG][/URL]
[QUOTE=Rubs10;22171270]Every time I think of solar sails, I think of,
[URL=http://filesmelt.com/][IMG]http://filesmelt.com/dl/SolarSailing.png[/IMG][/URL][/QUOTE]
but sir that would be a lunar sail
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