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From: notes@ucbcad.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Better solar sails? - (nf)
Message-ID: <532@ucbcad.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 25-Oct-83 07:48:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbcad.532
Posted: Tue Oct 25 07:48:06 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Oct-83 09:59:00 EDT
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#N:ucbesvax:8700008:000:704
ucbesvax!turner    Oct 25 01:14:00 1983

	I read somewhere (Omni?) about an order-of-magnitude improvement
in solar sails.  The idea is to perforate the sail to the extent that
it's surface is 90% holes--but holes with diameters somewhat less than
the average wavelength of incident sunlight.  Less of the force from
dissipating the kinetic energy of the photons striking the sail is taken
up in moving the sail itself--leaving more to pull payload.  The idea
is either Freeman Dyson's, or some other megalomaniac's. :-)

	I suppose that the requisite material could be boosted up with
the payload and then woven or pressed in orbital factories.  Sounds
like a very good idea.  Anyone have more info?
---
Michael Turner (ucbvax!ucbesvax.turner)