Futurology @futurology.today Lugh @futurology.today 1mo ago

What Should Light Sails Be Made Out Of?

www.universetoday.com What Should Light Sails Be Made Out Of?

The Breakthrough Starshot program aims to cross the immense distances to the nearest star in just decades. Using a high-powered laser to propel a reflective sail technology to relativistic speeds is their mission. The selection of sail material is key to its success as it must be lightweight while b...

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Light? I mean they're light sails, right? 😆

(I'll see myself out)
- Is lobster sauce made out of lobsters, or is it made of something else and you put it on lobsters?
  
  It's made by lobsters. It doesn't matter what they make it of, or where it goes.
- Oh man you’ve beat me to it
The best material would be something thin and shiny like mylar, no?
What do Space Pirates use? Let's use that.
- Pixels, I think.
Interesting problem. Kinetic energy is E_k = kv², where k = 1/2 for Newtonian physics. To double your speed, you need to apply four times the energy. Momentum is p = mv, so doubling your speed doubles your momentum. When you're in a vehicle collision, it's your momentum that hurts you as you collide with the car frame around you. Small particles don't have much mass, but at relativistic speeds they have a lot of momentum.
Light.

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