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Re:LightSail 2 Spacecraft Successfully Demonstrates Flight b... by umvi on Wednesday July 31, 2019 @06:14PM (#20579094)
I mean, it's only the size of a boxing ring, not a football field. I think LEDs could produce enough light to have a net effect.
Re:LightSail 2 Spacecraft Successfully Demonstrates Flight b... by Skunkleton on Wednesday July 31, 2019 @06:21PM (#20579171)
No. Think of the photons as producing little pushes. When they are emitted by the LED, they produce a little push in one direction, and then the sail pushes a little bit back in the other direction.

If it were possible to create a significant volume of thrust from photons emitted by LEDs, then you would be better off just pointing the LEDs away from where you wanted to go (like a rocket).

Re:LightSail 2 Spacecraft Successfully Demonstrates Flight b... by bmdavi3 on Wednesday July 31, 2019 @06:18PM (#20579138)
I don't know if the strength of an LED is enough to move the craft significantly, but if it is you'd need to point it at anything _but_ the ship itself, otherwise the two forces would cancel out. Just shine it in the opposite direction of where you want to go.
Re:LightSail 2 Spacecraft Successfully Demonstrates Flight b... by umvi on Wednesday July 31, 2019 @06:23PM (#20579192)
No, the two forces don't cancel out, I can't remember exactly why but elastic collisions don't work like that. That's why you can point a fan into your sailboat's sail and it will still go forward, mythbusters proved it.
Re:LightSail 2 Spacecraft Successfully Demonstrates Flight b... by mkl on Thursday August 01, 2019 @07:48AM (#20582955)
Mythbusters demonstrated something different, and something much less efficient than simply pointing the fan backwards like a normal fan boat (no sail required). Here: https://mythresults.com/blow-your-own-sail