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posted by CoolHand on Tuesday June 09 2015, @04:20PM   Printer-friendly
from the if-at-first-we-dont-succeed dept.

We've previously covered the Lightsail projects tribulations... Now there is better news.

Washington Post reports:

Since launching on May 20, the Planetary Society's solar sail prototype -- called LightSail and inspired by an idea Carl Sagan championed decades ago -- hasn't exactly had smooth seas.

A glitch made the tiny satellite holding the folded sail unreachable from Earth for a time. Even after communications were re-established, it took days to get the spacecraft to do the one thing it was sent up to do -- deploy its sail, proving that a propulsion system thinner than human hair could be packed away and unfurled safely in space.

On June 7, the Planetary Society reports, the sail finally unfurled.

Original announcement straight from Planetary Society can be found here.


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 3, Touché) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday June 09 2015, @06:10PM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday June 09 2015, @06:10PM (#194152) Journal

    You've got the hots for gewg_, right? I don't know which way he swings. Do you want me to ask him for you? I've got a better idea though. If you make better submissions than he does, you'll catch his attention, along with his envy and admiration. And, all the rest of us can sit around and watch your bromance develop.

    Starting Score:    1  point
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2015, @06:15PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2015, @06:15PM (#194155)

    What's with all of the homoeroticism here? Why can't we discuss astronomy without people like you bringing sodomy and penises into the discussion?

    • (Score: 2) by dyingtolive on Tuesday June 09 2015, @09:27PM

      by dyingtolive (952) on Tuesday June 09 2015, @09:27PM (#194264)

      The original poster struck me as kind of an asshole though, so he's obviously male*, but to be fair, I assume none of us actually know whether gewg_ is male or female.

      * I read that on tumblr.

      --
      Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2015, @10:51PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2015, @10:51PM (#194288)

        I've mentioned before [soylentnews.org] that I'm male.

        -- gewg_