[FPSPACE] Japan Succeeds in Space Experiment on Solar Sail Project

[Chris Faranetta]

Znamya 2 deployed in orbit from a Progress M  in 1993 had no frame, am I missing something? I forget how many microns thick Znamya 2 was however it was about 66 feet in diameter.

CF
-----Original Message-----
From: "Jim Oberg" <joberg at houston.rr.com>
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2004 06:49:14 
To:<fpspace at friends-partners.org>
Subject: [FPSPACE] Japan Succeeds in Space Experiment on Solar Sail Project

Japan Succeeds in Space Experiment on Solar Sail Project
Tokyo Jiji Press in English 1605 GMT 09 Aug 04 
[Jim O advises: this is a pretty neat accomplishment -- well done, JAXA, be proud!] 

 
    Tokyo, Aug. 9 (Jiji Press) -- A Japanese government institution on Monday 
successfully unfurled two "sails" in space, an experiment that could pave the 
way for future development of spacecraft without engines. 
 
    The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency became the world's first institution 
to successfully conduct an experiment in space using sails that have no frame 
structure to support them. 
 
    The agency launched the S-310-34 rocket from a space observation center in 
Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, at 5:15 p.m.   (8:15 a.m.   GMT).   
After it climbed above an altitude of 150 kilometers, the rocket unfurled a 
resin-made film shaped like a four-leaf clover.   The film is just 0.0075 
millimeter thick. 
 
    After releasing the first film at an altitude of about 170 kilometers, the 
rocket opened the second film, which is circular in shape and divided into six 
equal segments. 
 
    The rocket fell into waters off Kagoshima about 6 minutes and 40 seconds 
after its launch. 
 
    The agency used films without frames for the experiment because such films 
may be easier to develop for large sails. 
 
    In 1991, Russia successfully deployed in space a film held in a support 
framework. 
 
    One U.S. private institution in 2001 tried to conduct an experiment using 
frameless sails, but its rocket launch failed. 
 
    The Japanese agency hopes to develop a solar sail for space exploration in 
the future.   Such a sail could power a spacecraft without an engine, gaining 
thrust from light particles from the Sun. 
 
    The development of such solar sails had been seen as fantasy until recently 
because there was no material sufficiently light and strong.   But the use of 
polyimide resin is seen as a solution to this problem. 
 
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Chris Faranetta
O:1(703)930-6260
M: 1(703)930-6128
chris.faranetta at verizon.net