Cosmos 1 launches Mar. 1, 2005

[gregoire]

The date is set......... only 111 days to go!<br /><br />http://www.planetary.org/solarsail/press/latest_news.html

 

[no_way]

First, they have postponed the launch date a couple a times already. And contrary to whats said in the article, it isnt "the world's first solar sail spacecraft "

 

[najab]

Remind me please, what was the first?

 

[nacnud]

Didn’t one of the probes to visit mercury use small sails as stabilisers?

 

[najab]

><i>Didn’t one of the probes to visit mercury use small sails as stabilisers?</i><p>Mariner 10 is the only probe to visit Mercury so far. It did not use solar sails, but rather the solar pressure on its solar panels. This doesn't count as solar sails, since it didn't use it propulsively.</p>

 

[nacnud]

Yeah I agree but it did use solar pressure as a force to control its motion. <br /><br />Perhaps no_way is refering to the suborbital cosmos sail that didn't seporate from the second stage of its launcher properly?<br />

 

[toymaker]

"Remind me please, what was the first? "<br />I think it was a Japanese mission :<br />http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3555048.stm<br /><br />

 

[nacnud]

Do you mean this?

 

[najab]

Yeah, I remember that one. But that only tested the deployment - it wasn't propulsive either.

 

[hiro2002]

>>"Remind me please, what was the first? " <br /> />>I think it was a Japanese mission : <br /><br />The mission is only for testing unfurling solar sail on a ballistic course.<br />The solar sail was not used for propulsion.<br />I don't know how about Cosmos 1.<br />

 

[no_way]

Yes, i was talking about ISAS deployment experiment<br />It is true that Cosmos-1 would be the first one to be actually propelled by solar sail, if successful.