Abstract
The source of motive force for solar sail spacecraft is the momentum transported to the sail by radiative energy from the Sun. While the observation that light can push matter is quite contrary to everyday experience, it is a commonplace mechanism in the solar system. Perhaps the most striking example is the elegant beauty of comet tails. Comets have in fact two distinct tails: an ion tail swept out by the solar wind and a dust tail swept out by solar radiation pressure. As will be seen, however, light pressure is by far the dominant effect on solar sails.
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Further Reading
Historical interest
Maxwell, J. C., Electricity and Magnetism, Oxford University Press, 1873.
Lebedew, P., ‘The Physical Causes of Deviation from Newton’s Law of Gravitation’, Astrophysical Journal, 10, 155–161, 1902.
Nichols, E.F. & Hull, G.F., ‘The Experimental Investigation of the Pressure of Light’, Astrophysical Journal, 15, 60–65, 1902.
Nichols, E.F. & Hull, G.F., ‘The Pressure due to Radiation’, Physical Review, 17, 26–50, 1903.
Radiative transfer
Mihalas, D. & Mihalas, B.W., Foundations of Radiation Hydrodynamics, Oxford University Press, 1984.
McInnes, C.R. & Brown, J.C.,’ solar Sail Dynamics with an Extended Source of Radiation Pressure’, IAF-89-350, 40th International Astronautical Federation Congress, Malaga, October 1989.
McInnes, C.R. & Brown, J.C., ‘The Dynamics of Solar Sails with a Non-point Source of Radiation Pressure’, Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy, 9, 249–264, 1990.
Solar sail force model
Georgevic, R.M., ‘The Solar Radiation Pressure Force and Torques Model’, Journal of Astronautical Sciences, 20, 251–214, 1973.
Wright, J.L., Space Sailing, Gordon & Breach Science Publishers, 1992 (Appendix A, B).
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© 1999 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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McInnes, C.R. (1999). Solar radiation pressure. In: Solar Sailing. Astronomy and Planetary Sciences. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3992-8_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3992-8_2
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