On Wednesday, Bill Nye wants to make Carl Sagan's dreams come true. The Planetary Society, founded by the late Sagan and two other stargazers, now headed by Nye, is launching a prototype of its LightSail voyager, a spacecraft powered by radiation from the sun harnessed by a thin solar sail. Weather permitting, the prototype will launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
This pioneering flight won't actually demonstrate the power of solar-sailing, but it's a crucial first step in testing out the mechanics: Will the 300-square-foot Mylar sail deploy properly from its bread-loaf-sized capsule? You can watch Sagan describe the concept (to Johnny Carson in 1976) here, and watch Nye and Reuters describe this week's crowdfunded effort below. —Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - October 13, 2024Sunday's cartoons - the swing of things, fear of facts, and more
-
5 timely cartoons about climate change denialCartoons Artists take on textbook trouble, bizarre beliefs, and more
-
Kris Kristofferson: the free-spirited country music star who studied at OxfordIn the Spotlight The songwriter, singer and film-star has died aged 88
-
Detailed map of fly's brain holds clues to human mindSpeed Read This remarkable fruit fly brain analysis will aid in future human brain research
-
Bacteria is evolving to live (and infect) in spaceUnder the Radar The ISS has new micro-habitants
-
Earth may be gaining a temporary moonUnder the radar A planetary plus-one
-
10 recent scientific breakthroughsIn Depth From cell reparation to monkey communication
-
Is billionaire's 'risky' space flight about research or tourism?In the Spotlight Jared Isaacman takes an all-private crew to space
-
Nasa's astronauts: stranded in spaceIn the Spotlight Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore's eight-day trip to the ISS has now stretched into weeks amid concerns over their Starliner spacecraft
-
Why water on Mars is so significantThe Explainer Enough water has been found to cover the surface of the Red Planet – but there's a catch
-
What is NASA working on?In Depth A running list of the space agency's most exciting developments
