Sentences with phrase «interstellar light sails»

Not exact matches

But Jeffrey Sheehy, chief engineer of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate in Washington, D.C., and Johnson agree that the technology could potentially pave the way for interstellar missions, in which powerful lasers could accelerate sail spacecraft to a tenth the speed of light or faster.

Interstellar journeys would require a sail as big as Texas and orbiting lasers to provide a light boost; even then, the trip would take centuries, Johnson says.

The group says it is the only practical technology that might be used for interstellar travel, since the light generates a small but constant pressure that should accelerate a sail to high speeds over time.

Here a tiny LED light in the ceiling of a dark closet changes color over a many - hour time span according to the position of the sun, the earth, and the Voyager One spacecraft, now sailing in interstellar space.