Science fiction meets science fact in Space Sail of the Future. This 1960 painting by Robert McCall depicts a spacecraft powered by light from the Sun. A vessel propelled in this way doesn’t need to carry fuel and can devote its entire carrying capacity to scientific instruments. In theory, it could accelerate into the cosmos indefinitely.
Amazingly, this idea has been around since the 1600s. But only recently have engineers made it a reality. The mission, LightSail 2, was flown by the Planetary Society, using a small spacecraft called a CubeSat. Particles of light bounce off the surface of the shiny surface of the mylar. These bursts of momentum keep Light Sail 2 in orbit. New affordable technologies like these promise to enable new types of missions and democratize access to space.
This section includes the following objects:
LightSail 2 full-scale Spacecraft Engineering Model
LightSail 2 quarter-scale model solar sail spacecraft
Space Sail of the Future
LightSail Video ASCA Film
A Sail for Outer Space
LightSail 2 1/4 scale model solar sail spacecraft, 2019
LightSail 2 full-scale spacecraft engineering model
Materials: Mylar sail, aluminum engineering model. 2019
Description: Light Sail is a very lightweight spacecraft. It has a central rectangular shaped apparatus that contains solar arrays, cameras, and a mini DVD. The sail extends on four poles to create a large square that is 18 feet on each side. The sail is made of mylar, a thin, reflective, silver-colored material.
Credit: Planetary Society. Artist: David Doody
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Space Sail of the Future
Robert McCall, 1960
Oil on canvas (reproduction)
Description: A painting of sails in space. Curved triangular white sails float above Earth and the Moon with the dark celestial sky in the background. The sail in the center foreground is marked with the number 15. It has a satellite dish on the bottom. On the right corner are astronauts floating, but tethered to the sail. A similar sail in the background is marked with the number 15.
Credit: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
ASCA Film
2021
Armor solar power films SAS, Nantes, France
Description: A photo of flexible and translucent film. The film has horizontal lines that run through it. It resembles photo film.
A New Way to Harness Solar Power
Look up! The curved veil above you simulates an important, future-facing material called flexible organic photovoltaic film. This is a new solar technology, which can create usable energy from sunlight. The film is lightweight, flexible, and remarkably ecological. As it becomes more readily available, we may start seeing it everywhere.