Japanse mission unleashes solar sail in deep space

[bananas]

Source: Spaceflight Now

Japan's space agency confirmed Friday its Ikaros mission successfully unfurled a solar sail nearly 5 million miles from Earth, but it could be much longer before officials confirm whether the craft is being accelerated by the power of sunlight.

The final deployment of the sail membrane came Wednesday, but the Japan Aerospace Exploration agency waited to receive confirmation of the event before announcing its success in a press release Friday.

JAXA also distributed images from cameras mounted aboard the spacecraft showing the ultra-thin sail deployed as planned as Ikaros traveled nearly 5 million miles from Earth.

Ikaros launched on an H-2A rocket last month along with Japan's Akatsuki probe bound for Venus. While Akatsuki will enter orbit around Venus, Ikaros will fly by the planet and continue circling through the inner solar system.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1006/11ikaros/

[Kolesar]

1. but there's no whales up there!

:hide:

[Dogmudgeon]

2. Shhh! Don't tell ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetus">Cetus

--d!