Solar sail technology is very close to becoming an engineering reality. It will soon be used in the exploration of the solar system and beyond. Using the power of the sun for space travel propulsion will be the next major leap forward in our journey to other worlds. The new book Solar Sails provides an accessible introduction to solar sails and details how they work and what they will be used for in the exploration of space. It also examines current plans for solar sails and how advanced technology, such as nanotechnology, might enhance their performance.
The coverage includes material on how solar sail propulsion will make space exploration more affordable and demonstrates how access to destinations within (and beyond) the solar system will come within reach. Solar Sails also details the construction of current and future sailcraft, including the work of both government and private space organizations, and features images of sail hardware that have been built, tested and, in some cases, flown. In all, this is a well structured and approachable text on a subject of intense interest in the modern era.
The book:
- Discusses current plans for solar sails and projections up to the medium term
- Describes how advanced technology, such as nanotechnology, can be applied to enhance the solar sail performance
- Shows how solar sail propulsion will make space exploration more affordable
- Demonstrates how access to destinations within (and beyond) the solar system will become within our reach
Giovanni Vulpetti, Les Johnson, Gregory L. Matloff
Solar Sails
A Novel Approach to Interplanetary Travel
2008. XVI, 256 p. 92 illus., 16 in color.
Hardcover. EUR 19.95, £ 15.00, sFr 33.50, $ 27.50
ISBN 978-0-387-34404-1