A NASA solar sail mission meant to test new space travel materials in Earth's orbit is scheduled to lift off no sooner than April 24, the space agency announced on Thursday . using new composite booms, which are tube-shaped materials meant to unfurl and hold four very thin triangular sheets tautly. These sheets, together, form a kite-like solar sail.
"Seven meters of the deployable booms can roll up into a shape that fits in your hand," Alan Rhodes, the mission's lead systems engineer at NASA'sin California, said in the statement."The hope is that the new technologies verified on this spacecraft will inspire others to use them in ways we haven't even considered."'s surface, it will begin the 25-minute process of unrolling the composite booms, which span the diagonals of the sail.
Upon complete deployment, the solar sail will measure about 860 square feet , which is roughly as wide as six standard parking spots.