Radiation pressure
Videos
Radiation pressure is mechanical pressure exerted upon a surface due to the exchange of momentum between the object and the electromagnetic field. This includes the momentum of light or electromagneti
Soviet ruble coin commemorating Lebedev's discovery
The Pillars of Creation clouds within the Eagle Nebula shaped by radiation pressure and stellar winds.
A protoplanetary disk with a cleared central region (artist's conception).
Comet Hale–Bopp (C/1995 O1). Radiation pressure and solar wind effects on the dust and gas tails are clearly seen.
Solar sail
Videos
Solar sails are a method of spacecraft propulsion using radiation pressure exerted by sunlight on large surfaces. A number of spaceflight missions to test solar propulsion and navigation have been pro
Radiation pressure
…radiation. This distribution must be taken into account when calculating the radiation pressure or identifying reflector materials for optimizing a solar sail, for instance. Momentary or hours long solar pressures can indeed escalate due to release of solar flares and coronal mass ejections, but effects remain…
IKAROS, the first space-probe with a solar sail in flight (artist's depiction), featuring a typical square sail configuration of almost 200 m2
A NASA illustration of the unlit side of a half-kilometre solar sail, showing the struts stretching the sail
An artist's depiction of a Cosmos 1-type spaceship in orbit
Proposed material for the construction of solar sails - carbon fiber.