h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yeah, I really dig science and technology. I don't subscribe to any magazines because I don't have any money, but I am in the process of reading every single book on the subject that I can find in the town library.

I would like to know which particular areas you know most about. Then I can ask you a few questions.

For instance: what do you think of solar sails as a future option for space exploration?

Solar Sails...
I feel there is a lot of potential to the use of solar sails in moving craft (probably unmanned) around our solar system. Solar sails are essentualy giant, reflecting "parachutes" that can be pushed by sunlight (or maybe lasers).

In the early years of communication satelites, they sent up big balloons that would reflect the radiowaves back to Earth. Not too good for radio, but it shows that they can inflate large fabric shapes up there. The Russians have also sent a couple of large "mirrors" into space to reflect sunlight to the night side of the planet, with reasonably good results. I believe that a solar sail of some size could be constructed and packed small enough to be able to launch into space.

Teather experiments on NASA's shuttle have shown that the cables from the sail to the capsule could be used to generate electricity, at least while in Earth's magnetic field. I wonder how much stray magnetism is in-between the planets. Can the solar wind also produce enough magnetic lines to power our sail's electrical needs?

Once again, I feel the potential is there. Whether any of the space agencies will try it is doubtful. On the other hand, private enterprise is the biggest player in space nowadays. I bet a private company will send out a probe someday using a big solar sail. And Nike will put they're "swoosh" on it.

Thanks! The book about solar sails that I read is about fifteen years old, but I got the idea that back then they had already made or at least designed some prototype sails. It's funny to me that so little has been done in the meantime. I like the idea of a craft being propelled by an external source.

Just what is private enterprise doing nowadays with regard to space exploration? What's in it for them? Do you think a private company will ever be able to take people to the moon, for instance? And what about new propulsion systems for rockets? So they made an ionic rocket drive - are they ever going to use it? And what about the new fuel that I read about that is so efficient that it can launch a rocket to orbit with a single stage, and that also causes less/no pollution?

I think the exploration of space is important, for many different reasons. Sattelite communications could still improve; I look forward to the day when all internet access is via sattelite or optic cable, so communication can truly be instantaneous. Even though it is now better than ever before, it can be better still. And other projects we ought to work on include getting a base on the moon, and perhaps as an ultra-long-term project a mission to another star! Not a manned mission, maybe just a microscopically tiny probe - but something that can send us close-up pictures and detailed info. I wonder how long it'll be before we can do that.