A solar sail is a very huge mirror that reflect sunlight. As
the photons of sunlight hit the sail and bounce back, they soothingly push the
sail all along by transferring momentum to the sail. since there are lots of
photons from sunlight, and since they are constantly striking the sail, there
is a steady pressure (force per unit area) exerted on the sail that produce a steady
acceleration of the spacecraft. Though the force on to the solar-sail
spacecraft is fewer than predictable chemical rockets, such as the space
shuttle, the solar-sail spacecraft regularly accelerate over time and achieve a
greater velocity. It's like comparing the effect of a squall of wind against a
steady, gentle breeze on a dandelion seed balanced in the air. Even though the
gust of wind (rocket engine) firstly pushes the seed with larger force, it dies
quickly and the seed coasts only so far-off. In difference, the breeze weakly push
the seed during a longer period of time, and the seed take a trip farther.
Solar sails allow spacecraft to move within the solar system and among stars exclusive
of bulky rocket engines and enormous amounts of fuel.
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