Solar Sailing: Technology, Dynamics and Mission Applications

Front Cover
Springer Science & Business Media, 2004 M02 20 - 296 pages

Solar sailing offers the possibility of low-cost long-distance missions, impossible for any other type of conventional spacecraft. The book provides a detailed account of solar sailing, at a high technical level but in a way accessible to the scientifically informed layman. Solar sail orbital dynamics and solar radiation pressure form the foundations of the book, but the engineering design of solar sails is also considered, along with potential mission applications. This book introduces the subject and at the same time provides a technical reference source.

 

Selected pages

Contents

Introduction to solar sailing
1
12 PERSPECTIVES
2
122 Early optimism
3
123 Chasing a comet
5
124 Celestial races
7
126 New millennium
9
127 Lessons of history
10
13 PRACTICALITIES OF SOLAR SAILING
11
435 Globally optimal trajectories
148
44 PLANETCENTERED ORBITS
151
442 Suboptimal trajectories
152
443 Minimum time escape trajectories
163
445 Solution by the HamiltonJacobi method
164
45 SUMMARY
168
46 FURTHER READING
169
Planetcentred trajectories
170

132 Performance metrics
13
133 Solar sail orbits
14
134 Comparison with other propulsion systems
17
14 SOLAR SAIL MISSION APPLICATIONS
19
142 Inner solar system missions
21
143 Outer solar system missions
23
144 NonKeplerian orbits
24
15 FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
25
152 Autonomous explorers
27
153 Speculation
28
16 FURTHER READING
29
Selected introductory papers
30
Solar sailing books
31
Solar radiation pressure
32
22 HISTORICAL VIEW OF SOLAR RADIATION PRESSURE
33
23 THE PHYSICS OF RADIATION PRESSURE
34
232 Electromagnetic description
36
233 Force on a perfectly reflecting solar sail
38
24 RADIATIVE TRANSFER METHODS
40
242 Angular moments of specific intensity
42
25 RADIATION PRESSURE WITH A FINITE SOLAR DISC
43
253 Limbdarkened solar disc
46
261 Optical force model
47
262 Parametric force model
51
27 OTHER FORCES
54
29 FURTHER READING
55
Solar sail design
56
32 DESIGN PARAMETERS
57
33 SAIL FILMS
60
332 Substrates
61
333 Coatings
62
334 Metallic sail films
64
335 Environmental effects
66
336 Sail bonding folding and packing
67
34 SOLAR SAIL STRUCTURES
69
35 SOLAR SAIL CONFIGURATIONS
71
351 Optimum solar sail configurations
72
352 Threeaxis stabilised square sail
76
353 Spinstabilised heliogyro
81
354 Spinstabilised disc sail
89
355 Solar photon thruster
91
356 Highperformance solar sails
95
357 Microsolar sails
97
36 RECENT CASE STUDIES IN SOLAR SAIL DESIGN
99
362 Union pour la Promotion de la Propulsion Photonique U3P
102
363 Johns Hopkins University JHU
103
364 Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT
104
365 Cambridge Consultants Ltd CCL
105
366 ODISSEE mission DLRJPL
107
37 SUMMARY
109
Spinning solar sails
110
Attitude control
111
Solar sail orbital dynamics
112
42 EQUATIONS OF MOTION
113
422 Sail force vector
115
423 Polar equations of motion
118
424 Lagrange variational equations
119
43 SUNCENTRED ORBITS
120
432 Conic section orbits
121
433 Logarithmic spiral trajectories
129
434 Locally optimal trajectories
136
NonKeplerian orbits
171
52 SUNCENTRED NONKEPLERIAN ORBITS
173
523 Suncentred nonKeplerian orbit stability
180
524 Suncentred nonKeplerian orbit control
188
525 Patched orbits
193
53 PLANETCENTRED NONKEPLERIAN ORBITS
196
532 NonKeplerian orbit solutions
197
533 Planetcentred nonKeplerian orbit stability
203
534 Planetcentred nonKeplerian orbit control
206
535 Patched orbits
211
54 SOLAR SAILS IN RESTRICTED THREEBODY SYSTEMS
214
543 Equilibrium solutions
215
544 Regions of existence of equilibrium solutions
217
545 Equilibrium solutions in the EarthSun system
219
546 Stability of equilibrium solutions
221
547 Lunar Lagrange point orbits
223
55 EFFECT OF A REAL SOLAR SAIL MODEL
224
56 SUMMARY
226
57 FURTHER READING
227
Planetcentred nonKeplerian orbits
228
Mission application case studies
229
62 GEOSTORM MISSION
231
622 Mission concept
233
623 Mission orbit
234
624 Solar sail design
236
625 Other concepts
238
632 Mission concept
239
633 Mission orbit
241
64 MERCURY ORBITER
243
643 Mission orbit
244
644 Solar sail design
247
652 Mission concepts
249
66 POLAR OBSERVER
250
662 Mission concept
251
663 Mission orbit
254
67 MICROSOLAR SAIL CONSTELLATIONS
257
68 NONKEPLERIAN ORBITS
258
682 Planetcentred nonKeplerian orbits
260
692 Mission orbit
262
693 Outer planet missions
264
694 550 au and beyond
266
610 SUMMARY
267
Solar storm missions
268
NonKeplerian orbits
269
Miscellaneous
270
Laserdriven light sails
271
72 LIGHT SAIL PHYSICS
272
73 LIGHT SAIL MECHANICS
274
732 Classical light sail mechanics
275
733 Relativistic light sail mechanics
278
74 LIGHT SAIL DESIGN
281
742 Laser systems
283
743 Optical collimating systems
284
744 Impact damage and interstellar drag
285
75 MISSION APPLICATIONS
287
752 Interstellar probe
288
76 SUMMARY
291
77 FURTHER READING
292
Index
293
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Solar Sailing: Technology, Dynamics and Mission Applications
Colin R. McInnes
Limited preview - 2013
Solar Sailing: Technology, Dynamics and Mission Applications
Colin R. McInnes
Snippet view - 1999
Solar Sailing
Colin R. McInnes
No preview available - 2014

Common terms and phrases

blade centre-of-mass characteristic acceleration clock angle comet Halley component cone angle cosē defined deployed deployment direction disc solar sail displaced displacement distance distance ecliptic plane energy equation of motion equilibrium solutions Firstly force vector frame of reference function Geostorm gravitational heliogyro high-performance solar sails interstellar Kapton Keplerian orbit L₁ Lagrange point laser light sail locally optimal logarithmic spiral manoeuvres maximise Mercury mission applications obtained orbit period orbit radius payload mass photons planetary propulsion radiation pressure acceleration radiation pressure force reflectivity required solar sail Robert Forward sail area sail film sail lightness number sail mission sail pitch angle seen semi-major axis shown in Fig solar radiation pressure solar sail acceleration solar sail design solar sail lightness solar sail orbit solar system spacecraft spars specific impulse speed square solar sail steering law structure substrate Sun-centred non-Keplerian orbits Sun-line surface thermal torque transfer variational equation

References to this book

Bibliographic information

TitleSolar Sailing: Technology, Dynamics and Mission Applications
Astronomy and Planetary Sciences
Springer Praxis Books
Springer-Praxis books in astronautical engineering
Springer-Praxis series in space science and technology
AuthorColin R. McInnes
Editionillustrated, reprint
PublisherSpringer Science & Business Media, 2004
ISBN3540210628, 9783540210627
Length296 pages
  
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