Power Beamed Photon Sails: New Capabilities Resulting From Recent Maturation Of Key Solar Sail And High Power Laser Technologies

Journal Article · Thu May 06 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3435457· OSTI ID:21367307

Montgomery, IV, Edward E ^[1]

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1. United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, Alabama (United States)

This paper revisits some content in the First International Symposium on Beamed Energy Propulsion in 2002 related to the concept of propellantless in-space propulsion utilizing an external high energy laser to provide momentum to an ultralightweight (gossamer) spacecraft. The design and construction of the NanoSail-D solar sail demonstration spacecraft has demonstrated in space flight hardware the concept of small, very light--yet capable--spacecraft. The results of the Joint High Power Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) have also increased the effectiveness and reduced the cost of an entry level laser source. This paper identifies the impact from improved system parameters on current mission applications.

• OSTI ID: 21367307
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1230, Issue 1; Conference: 6. international symposium on beamed energy propulsion, Scottsdale, AZ (United States), 1-5 Nov 2009; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3435457; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
DESIGN
FREE ELECTRON LASERS
LASER POWER TRANSMISSION
LASER RADIATION
PHOTONS
PROPULSION
PROPULSION SYSTEMS
SAILS
SOLID STATE LASERS
SPACE FLIGHT
BOSONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
LASERS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
POWER TRANSMISSION
RADIATIONS