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A better way to turn solar sails

Phys Org
Summary
Nutrition label

83% Informative

Solar sails work by catching photons from the sun, much like wind fills a sailing ship's canvas.

Their enormous size compared to their mass creates a control problem.

Most spacecraft use spinning wheels called reaction wheels to change their orientation in space.

But solar sails are so large that these reaction wheels quickly become overwhelmed, spinning faster and faster until they reach their limits and can no longer function.

Researchers from the University of New South Wales have proposed an elegant solution inspired by Japan 's groundbreaking IKAROS mission.

VR Score

87

Informative language

91

Neutral language

13

Article tone

informal

Language

English

Language complexity

70

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

long-living

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