Space sailing soon: A one-kilometer-long electric sail tether produced
Tuesday, January 8, 2013 - 09:30
in Physics & Chemistry
An electric sail (ESAIL) produces propulsion power for a spacecraft by utilizing the solar wind. The sail features electrically charged long and thin metal tethers that interact with the solar wind. Using ultrasonic welding,engineers successfully produced a 1 km long ESAIL tether.