Space · Topic 113 of 119
Solar Sails
⭐ MasteredA solar sail uses the pressure of sunlight pushing on a large, thin sheet to move a spacecraft. It needs no fuel, but it moves slowly and needs a very large sail.
💡 Fun fact
Sunlight exerts a tiny push on everything, and a solar sail can use this to keep speeding up over time.
All about Solar Sails
A solar sail uses the pressure of sunlight pushing on a large, thin sheet to move a spacecraft. It needs no fuel, but it moves slowly and needs a very large sail. Over time, the sail can gain a lot of speed.
Solar sails are being studied for long-distance missions.
🎮 Try it yourself!
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