Question

It has been proposed that a spaceship might be propelled in the solar system by radiation pressure, using a large sail made of foil. How large must the surface area of the sail be if the radiation force is to be equal in magnitude to the Sun's gravitational attraction? Assume that the mass of the ship + sail is 1800 kg, that the sail is perfectly reflecting, and that the sail is oriented perpendicular to the Sun's rays. (With a larger sail, the ship is continuously driven away from the Sun.) The rate at which the Sun emits energy is 3.90 × 1026 W. The Sun's mass is 1.99 × 1030 kg. Gravitational constant is 6.67 × 10-11 N m2/kg2.

Answer 1