Most space missions rely on chemical rockets for propulsion. Rockets must carry fuel, which increases spacecraft mass and limits their speed and travel distance. For decades, researchers have explored ...

The stability of a light sail riding on a laser beam is analyzed both analytically and numerically. Conical sails on Gaussian beams, which have been studied in the past, are shown to be unstable in ...

Quick: what’s the most successful, stable, one-design dinghy class in world history? Answer: the Laser, of course, now rolling past 200,000 boats worldwide. In fact, in celebration of this milestone, ...

(Inside Science) — In long distance space travel, traditional rockets would eventually run out of fuel. There is an alternative: Since as early as the 19 th century, scientists have dreamed of ...

Diffraction gratings could allow laser-sailing craft to hold the line. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Breaking space news, the ...

May 21, 2010: First deployment of a functional solar sail in space, “IKAROS” (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun) is demonstrated by the Japanese Space Agency JAXA. 2011: ...

The universe is big, staggeringly, mind-bendingly big. There are trillions and trillions of stars in the observable universe but traveling to even the closest one with our best rockets would take tens ...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more! You are ...

At the 2007 Laser Masters Worlds in Roses, Spain, International Laser Class president Tracy Usher started discussions about creating a new sail that would last longer than the existing sail, designed ...

Imagine a place like our solar system. A place with a ‘central’ star orbited by planets but light years away. There might be a planet there with water and living organisms. Now imagine if you could ...