Comments on: Next up: Asteroids http://metamodern.com/2010/07/04/next-up-asteroids/ The Trajectory of Technology Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:15:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: D.L Parker http://metamodern.com/2010/07/04/next-up-asteroids/comment-page-1/#comment-3656 D.L Parker Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:27:11 +0000 http://metamodern.com/?p=8844#comment-3656 Hello, you talked about fabricating Light Sails in space. Is that something you still think about today? Thanks. Hello, you talked about fabricating Light Sails in space. Is that something you still think about today?

Thanks.

]]> By: Eric Drexler http://metamodern.com/2010/07/04/next-up-asteroids/comment-page-1/#comment-3630 Eric Drexler Wed, 14 Jul 2010 23:43:13 +0000 http://metamodern.com/?p=8844#comment-3630 Advances in thin-film fabrication have applications to this, since free-standing thin films are central to the concept. The technology that has lagged is at the space operations end. (Wikipedia gives a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_sail#Investigated_sail_designs" rel="nofollow">brief but accurate description</a> of the concept I investigated.) A deployable, radically sub-scale demo (~ 3 meters?) would be practical and give striking results (~ 10 x acceleration). The payload, however, would be so small that a passive design with optical tracking might be the best that could be done. Advances in thin-film fabrication have applications to this, since free-standing thin films are central to the concept. The technology that has lagged is at the space operations end. (Wikipedia gives a brief but accurate description of the concept I investigated.)

A deployable, radically sub-scale demo (~ 3 meters?) would be practical and give striking results (~ 10 x acceleration). The payload, however, would be so small that a passive design with optical tracking might be the best that could be done.

]]> By: SudarshanP http://metamodern.com/2010/07/04/next-up-asteroids/comment-page-1/#comment-3621 SudarshanP Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:01:23 +0000 http://metamodern.com/?p=8844#comment-3621 In your "1983 advocacy piece", in your master's theses etc., you have given a lot of emphasis on Light Sail Technology. Have you noticed significant improvements in material science required for this in nanotech or conventional material science areas over the years? Do you think light sails could play a role in the Obama Plan? In your “1983 advocacy piece”, in your master’s theses etc., you have given a lot of emphasis on Light Sail Technology. Have you noticed significant improvements in material science required for this in nanotech or conventional material science areas over the years? Do you think light sails could play a role in the Obama Plan?

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