[FPSPACE] FW: Centauri Dreams - Solar Sail Mission to the Sun’s High Latitudes

["Benigno Muñiz Jr."]

At 03:22 PM 12-06-08, LARRY KLAES wrote:
>>From: Centauri Dreams <gilster at mindspring.com>
>>Reply-To: Centauri Dreams <gilster at mindspring.com>
>>Subject: Centauri Dreams
>>Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:02:38 -0500 (CDT)
>>
>>Centauri Dreams
>>
>>///////////////////////////////////////////
>
>>Solar Sail Mission to the Suns High Latitudes
[deleted]
>Ultimately, of course, those of us who believe in sail technology 
>hope to see sails taking us throughout the inner Solar System and 
>used as an early boost for fast missions to the outer planets as well.


At the International Space University 1994 Summer Session, one of the 
2 design projects was "Solar System Exploration (SSE)." 
<http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=242&Itemid=251>

One of the initial 12 proposals for that project was to measure the 
solar wind at 10 - 30 solar radii using a spacecraft propelled by a 
solar sail.  This mission was studied by Laila Andersson (then with 
the Swedish Institute of Space Physics, IRF-Kiruna), Lloyd French 
(then with JPL), Kirill Simon (a FPSPACE participant, formerly with 
RSC Energia), and myself. I hope I didn't forget anyone -- that was 
14 years ago, and I don't have access to my notes from then.

Although our fellow classmates did not downselect this mission as one 
of the final 5 for detailed assessment, I'm happy to see that the 
potential benefit of solar sails still interests people in the space community.

Ben