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A comment on Crowdfunded spacecraft LightSail 2 prepares to go sailing on sunlight.

Re:Crowdfunded spacecraft LightSail 2 prepares to go sailing... by sandworm101 on Sunday June 23, 2019 @09:17PM (#20259821)
Will this thing actually accelerate?

The last project was in such a low orbit that acceleration was never possible. At best it could have managed a measurable decrease in the rate of orbital decay. The light pressure was less than the atmospheric drag. As drag is directly related to sail area, and is constant whereas sunlight isn't, is acceleration possible even in a 700+km orbit?

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Re:Crowdfunded spacecraft LightSail 2 prepares to go sailing... by greglindahl on Monday June 24, 2019 @12:55AM (#20260649)
Drag is not constant, it depends on which way the sail is pointing. One of the things they're testing is constantly swiveling the thing to maximize thrust and minimize drag.

The ISS maneuvers constantly to reduce drag.

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