A possible means of space flight is to place a perfectly reflecting aluminized s

Question

A possible means of space flight is to place a perfectly reflecting aluminized sheet into orbit around the Earth and then use the light from the Sun to push this "solar sail." Suppose a sail of area 6.30 105 m2 and mass 6800 kg is placed in orbit facing the Sun. (a) What force is exerted on the sail? N (b) What is the sail's acceleration? m/s2 (c) What time interval is required for the sail to reach the Moon, 3.84 ? 108 m away? Ignore all gravitational effects, assume the acceleration calculated in part (b) remains constant, and assume a solar intensity of 1370 W/m2. days

Explanation / Answer

The hardest part, figuring out photon pressure on a flat surface, is given away in the hint. One can even neglect any other celestial bodies in the neighborhood. What remains of the actual problem is rather trite.

(a) F = p A; since pressure is 2 I / c, then

F = 2 A I / c = 2

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