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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!intelca!qantel!dual!ames!al
From: al@ames.UUCP (Al Globus)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Light Sail Deployment
Message-ID: <823@ames.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 28-Feb-85 13:48:36 EST
Article-I.D.: ames.823
Posted: Thu Feb 28 13:48:36 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 4-Mar-85 08:16:42 EST
References: <61@pbear.UUCP>
Organization: NASA-Ames Research Center, Mtn. View, CA
Lines: 23

> 	Steering the sail would be difficult, and  I  don't  have
> the  answers to that one.  I would wish someone would pick up the
> idea and bounce it around.
> 
> 					Peter Barada
> 					ima!pbear!peterb

With all this talk about solar sails on the net I thought you might like
to know that the World Space Foundation is actually building one and
expects to fly it.  The have built two prototypes, one full size, and have had
an upper stage donated to them.  They still need a launch - either shuttle
or Ariane - and I don't think they've started on the flight article.
They main players are experienced people from JPL, they know what 
they're doing.  

I don't know how far they've got on control, but the 
last I saw there were two small rotatable sails on the end on one of
the booms for pitch and roll control.  There is also a movable mass near
the center of the sail for yaw.

If anyone has the address available, why don't you post it?  Most of
their labor is volunteer.  If you want to help, contact Robert Staehle (sp?)
at JPL in Pasadena, CA.