accelerating an object in space with solar wind

[markusariliu]

Is it posable to use some type of sail, as so many science fiction books have invisioned, to propell an object through space away from a star?

 

It seems possable since our atmosphere is blown egg-shaped by it, but I am not sure so I came to ask.

[foodchain]

Is it posable to use some type of sail, as so many science fiction books have invisioned, to propell an object through space away from a star?

 

It seems possable since our atmosphere is blown egg-shaped by it, but I am not sure so I came to ask.

 

I am not sure but I think if we did not have a magnetic field solar winds will eventually destroy or remove our atmosphere. I think its the same reason we get auroras, in that the magnetic lines in the field conduct particles, I don’t know if they have anything in common with the van allen belts, if I spelled that right. So it would seem that like you stated the solar winds have some composition that can interact and so on, though I don’t know if you would want to spend a great deal of time in them.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Yes, it is possible, but it uses the force of the photons from the sun, not the solar wind (though that may help, I don't know).

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_sail for a quick starter on the topic.

[markusariliu]

isnt that what is comonly called the solar wind?

[insane_alien]

the solar wind is ions and other particles blown away by the sun. it does not usually refer to the light emitted by the sun.

[markusariliu]

thanks again I read the article and realise my mistake.

[Rocket Man]

nasa has done a study on the use of an artificial magnetoshpere as a solar sail, they found it had merit but i haven't heard much else

[insane_alien]

nasa has done a study on the use of an artificial magnetoshpere as a solar sail, they found it had merit but i haven't heard much else

 

IIRC it would require either a nuclear reactor or an even bigger solar sail of solar power cells.

[Rocket Man]

quite a few satellites had nuclear reactors, they normally used a simmering plutonium core and the seebeck effect, a chunky thermopile.

to create a big enough magnetic feild doesn't require much power, i seem to recall it being around 50W, much less than communication satellites

[insane_alien]

quite a few satellites had nuclear reactors, they normally used a simmering plutonium core and the seebeck effect, a chunky thermopile.

 

radiothermal generators(RTG's) are not nuclear reactors. nuclear reactors work with fission RTG's rely on radioactive decay.

 

any sources for the 50W for a decent sized solar sail?

[swansont]

radiothermal generators(RTG's) are not nuclear reactors. nuclear reactors work with fission RTG's rely on radioactive decay.

 

any sources for the 50W for a decent sized solar sail?

 

I think 50W was for generating a magnetic field, but then your thrust should be related to the power that you generate. One attraction of the solar sail is that the energy comes from the sun.