# NASA to launch Sunjammer **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 1, 2013, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-launch-sunjammer/649033 "2013-02-01T15:00:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-launch-sunjammer/649033/1 "2013-02-01T15:00:28Z")
> **[NASA to Launch World's Largest Solar Sail in 2014](https://www.yahoo.com/news/nasa-launch-worlds-largest-solar-sail-2014-193058903.html)** > > The largest solar sail ever constructed is headed for the launch pad in 2014 on a mission to demonstrate the value of "propellantless propulsion"— the act of using photons from the sun to push a craft through space. Named after Arthur C. Clarke’s story “Sunjammer”, which had such a neat cover image when it first appeared in _Boys Life_: > **[Paging through BOYS' LIFE, Part 2: Arthur C. Clarke's "The Sunjammer"](https://beamjockey.livejournal.com/150531.html)** > > Google has now scanned in my all-time favorite issue of Boys' Life , namely March 1964. We were deep into the Space Age, racing the Russians to the Moon. Mercury was over; Gemini was about to begin. I read the SCIENCE section faithfully in Time, The... When it was published in book form, though, he regrettably changed the title to “The Wind from the Sun”, apparently because Poul Anderson had already used “Sunjuammer” as a title. > [@](#): > > The largest solar sail ever constructed is headed for the launch pad in 2014 on a mission to demonstrate the value of “propellantless propulsion”— the act of using photons from the sun to push a craft through space. > > Dubbed Sunjammer, the giant solar sail measures about 124 feet (38 meters) on a side and boasts a total surface area of nearly 13,000 square feet (1,208 square m, or one-third of an acre). The project is under the wing of NASA’s Space Technology Program, within the agency’s Office of the Chief Technologist. > > NASA has contracted with a team of high-tech “solar sailors” at L’Garde Inc. of Tustin, Calif., to build Sunjammer. > > L’Garde is no newcomer to novel space structures. The company has worked with the space agency on several projects, including the creation of inflatable structures for radio frequency antennas and solar arrays. In 1996, the company flew the Inflatable Antenna Experiment (IAE) aboard the space shuttle Endeavour’s STS-77 mission. [Photos: Solar Sail Evolution for Space Travel] This will be massively cool. I hope it gets good news coverage (but fear it won’t) ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-launch-sunjammer/649033/2 "2013-02-01T16:36:41Z")
I’m glad to see this this is underway. Once we have proven, large-scale sails, a lot of potential opens up. Just having instrument platforms with effectively unlimited (if slow) maneuvering is enormous. Using them to survey NEAs is particularly promising, I think. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-launch-sunjammer/649033/3 "2013-02-01T16:48:38Z")
Disappointed it doesn’t look more like the solar sailers from _ **TRON** _, but still cool. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-launch-sunjammer/649033/4 "2013-02-01T18:32:37Z")
This is highly suspicious. It reminds me of the time Mr. Burns tried to block out the sun over Springfield.