Question: In the future solar sails could be used to accelerate spacecraft through space. In this question consider a la
Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2022 1:05 pm
Question: In the future solar sails could be used to accelerate spacecraft through space. In this question consider a large solar sail with a mass m = 888 kg that absorbs all the photons that fall on it. The solar sail is 1.53 light minutes from our sun. Our sun has a power of Psun = 3.90 x 1026 W. Part 1) What is the intensity of light from the sun at this point? I = W/m² Part 2) What area would the sails need to have so that the force from the solar photons perfectly balanced the gravitational force from the sun? A = Part 3) If the sail in fact has double this area, what is the acceleration of the sail? a = Check m² ms -2