The NASA In-Space Propulsion Technologies (ISPT) Program is heading an effort to develop the capability of solar sails to perform a variety of new space observation and exploration missions. Solar sails can potentially provide low-cost propulsion and operate without the use of propellant, allowing access to non-Keplerian orbits through constant thrust. Solar sails consist of a gossamer structure, a membrane-based, large, lightweight structure. The primary objective of the sail is to convert solar pressure into thrust on a spacecraft. This solar pressure is extremely small, on the order of nine Newtons per square kilometer at one AU. Therefore, the fundamental challenge in solar sail design is to create a sail area of significant size, with small enough system mass to achieve reasonable accelerations of the spacecraft.


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    Title :

    Similarity Rules for Scaling Solar Sail Systems


    Contributors:
    S. L. Canfield (author) / J. W. Beard (author) / J. Peddieson (author) / A. Ewing (author) / G. Garbe (author)

    Publication date :

    2004


    Size :

    14 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




    Similarity Rules for Scaling Solar Sail Systems

    Canfield, Stephen L. / Beard, James W., III / Peddieson, John et al. | NTRS | 2004


    Similarity Rules for Scaling Solar Sail Systems

    S. L. Canfield / J. Peddieson / G. Garbe | NTIS | 2010


    Similarity Rules for Scaling Solar Sail Systems

    Canfield, Stephen L. / Peddieson, John / Garbe, Gregory | NTRS | 2010



    Similarity Criteria and Associated Design Procedures for Scaling Solar Sail Systems

    Canfield, Stephen L. / Peddieson, John / Garbe, Gregory | AIAA | 2011