Sails have propelled earthlings across the seas for millennia, butNASAbelieves their future is off-world.
Thespaceagency has unveiled plans to develop a new solar sail system for a demonstration mission.
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Indeed, variations of the technique have already reaped results.
In 2010, a Japanese probe calledIkarosbecame the first craft tosuccessfully use the tech in space.
NASA later unfurleda solar sail of its ownwhile orbiting Earth.
Yet the space agency says the new proposal has a special power: diffraction.
The Diffractive Solar Sailing system uses pressure from the sunlight to propel spaceships.
As a result, spacecraft can maximize the available sunlight power.
While existing solar sails force tradeoffs between power and navigation, the concept amplifies propulsion without sacrificing maneuverability.
NASA envisions the technique sendingspacecraft to explore the suns poles a mission thats impossible with the tech of today.
Thats the idea, anyway.
NASA has now given the researchers$2 million to make it a reality.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
