MOSCOW June 22 (Reuters) - The world's first solar sail-powered spacecraft failed to reach its planned orbit after the Russian rocket carrying it shut down seconds after launch, Russia's state space agency said on Wednesday.
But it was unclear if the privately-funded Cosmos 1 was in space or had crashed to earth, with the U.S. backers of the project saying the craft was sending faint signals, possibly from a lower orbit.
"The unique solar sail spacecraft was not delivered to its planned orbit because the engine of the first stage of the "Volna" rocket shut itself down 83 seconds into the flight," Russia's Federal Space Agency said in a statement.
"Unfortunately, this is the second unsuccessful attempt to launch a solar sail craft on a journey through space," it said...read more
PASADENA, Calif. - Scientists in Russia and California worked on final preparations for the planned launch of the first spacecraft propelled by sunlight.
If all goes as planned, Cosmos 1 was to be launched early Tuesday afternoon, California time, and carried into Earth's orbit by a converted intercontinental ballistic missile, according to the Planetary Society, which is undertaking the nearly $4 million experiment.
The missile was being launched from a submerged Russian submarine in the Barents Sea. Russian, American and Czech ground stations will track the craft.
Solar sails are seen as a means for achieving interstellar flight by using the gentle push from the continuous stream of light particles known as photons. Though gradual, the constant light pressure should allow a spacecraft to build up great speed over time, and cover great distances.
Solar sails do not rely on the solar wind — the stream of ionized particles flowing from the sun — which moves more slowly than light and with much less force...read more
Bill Nye, the Science Guy, who happens to be the Vice President of the Planetary Society, seen here celebrating the launch.
news source: AP, Reuters
photos: Yahoo!
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