Planetary Society to test LightSail May 20
Planetary Society to test LightSail May 20
Jan 29, 2015
by Deborah Byrd in » Science Wire, Space
The Planetary Society’s solar sail satellite – known as LightSail – will hitch a ride to space aboard an Atlas V rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida this week, in a test of the satellite’s critical functions. The launch will take place on May 20, 2015 between 10:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. EDT (between 1445 and 1845 UTC).
Watch the launch live here, courtesy of United Launch Alliance
http://sail.planetary.org/missioncontrol
Get live updates here, via the Planetary Society
http://sail.planetary.org/missioncontrol
How to translate UTC to your time zone
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/universal-time
This week’s test is a precursor to a second mission, slated for 2016. Bill Nye (The Science Guy), CEO at The Planetary Society, said when they announced the test in January:
There’s an old saying in aerospace, ‘One test is worth a thousand expert opinions.’ After six years of development, we’re ready at last to see how LightSail flies.
LightSail is technically wonderful, but it’s also wonderfully romantic. We’ll sail on sunbeams.
But wait, there’s more: this unique, remarkable spacecraft is funded entirely by private citizens, people who think spaceflight is cool.
More
http://earthsky.org/space/planetary-society-to-test-its-lightsail-solar-sail-in-may?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=6699228d97-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-6699228d97-393525109