Abstract
Moving an asteroid with electric solar wind sail
Highlights
The electric solar wind sail, from here on referred to as ESail, is a new method for producing propulsion in space (Janhunen, 2010; Janhunen, 2004; Janhunen and Sandroos, 2007)
Let us consider the asteroid that is being accelerated or decelerated along its track by aligning the force vector produced by the electric solar wind sail (E-Sail) with the velocity vector of the asteroid
We have considered the operation angles θ of 0◦(E-Sail force vector going through the Sun), 30◦, 50◦and 70◦, corresponding to the coning angles of 0◦, 15◦and 25◦and 35◦respectively
Summary
The electric solar wind sail, from here on referred to as ESail, is a new method for producing propulsion in space (Janhunen, 2010; Janhunen, 2004; Janhunen and Sandroos, 2007). By varying the relative charging of the individual tethers, the direction of the total force can be altered and the spacecraft steered (Janhunen and Sandroos, 2007). This inevitably causes some fluctuations within the tethers, the mutual repulsive forces between them and the centrifugal force keep the sail roughly in shape. The sail tethers are themselves knitted out of four 25−50μm diameter metal wires in a crossed “Hoytether” pattern in order to minimise the possible destructive effects of micrometeoroids cutting a vulnerable single wire (Hoyt and Forward, 2001). Video 1 (see the supplement) portrays direct asteroid deflection by E-Sail
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