Electric Solar Wind Sail
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What is an Electric Solar Wind Sail?
[br]Significant research has been directed towards generating continuous solar power. The recent development of the electric solar wind sail has the potential to yield long-term, cost effective solar exploration solutions.Solar wind is an array of charged particles comprising mainly of electrons and protons, originating from the sun and flowing through the solar system at tremendous speeds (could be as much as 900 km/s) and at extremely high temperatures (as much as one million degrees Celsius).
Development of the Solar Wind Sail
The world’s most renowned space research organizations, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), along with FMI (Finnish Meteorological Institute) has made significant progress in spacecraft propulsion technology. These two global research bodies are spearheading the development of electric solar wind sails to a truly world class level of excellence. In 2006, Dr. Pekka Janhunen of the Finnish Meteorological Institute invented the electric sail, or e-sail, using the basic working principle on which lightweight solar sails had been developed.
The electric solar wind sail, or simply electric sail, uses a strong electrical field to deflect protons in solar wind, to garner a thrust. This technology, which is speedy and inexpensive, uses solar powered electron gun and long metallic tethers for propulsion. An electric sail could consist of as many as a hundred conducting tethers. These wires could be as long as 20 kilometers and as thin as 20 microns. The electron gun charges the tethers and this charge helps to harness solar wind as it deflects its protons and propels a thrust to the spacecraft without using any kind of propellant fuel.
[br]The Electric Solar Wind Sail Project
Currently, the development project of electric solar wind sails have reached an implementation phase due to the efforts of scientists at the University of Helsinki. Some of the development work related to the project is also in progress in countries like Germany, Russia, Sweden and Italy.
The recent development of the electric sail has the potential to yield long-term benefits comprising faster and cheaper solar system exploration. This development may stimulate economic utilization of current asteroid resources, such as generating rocket fuel in orbit. With the launch of the electric sail, solar power satellites will be able to transmit electric power back to earth in microwaves without any interruptions.
