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I have read about interstellar "sailing ships" that rely on radiation presuure.
My question is not really technical, just something to mull over. But I figure that if we set a sailing spacecraft from earth, I don't think it will be able to get to another solar system.
Sailing ships use radiation pressure as their "wind," so leaving away from the Sun is no problem, but what about entering back into another solar system? Won't that sun send its radiation pressure in the opposite direction of the ship? What then? After years of sailing will the ship just settle with some median distance between stars?
The only way I can think of to avoid this is if the ship had enough velocity and enough momentum that the target star could only slow down the ship until it reached its destination (hopefully a planet!). Otherwise, I don't see any other way around it.
Thanks.
My question is not really technical, just something to mull over. But I figure that if we set a sailing spacecraft from earth, I don't think it will be able to get to another solar system.
Sailing ships use radiation pressure as their "wind," so leaving away from the Sun is no problem, but what about entering back into another solar system? Won't that sun send its radiation pressure in the opposite direction of the ship? What then? After years of sailing will the ship just settle with some median distance between stars?
The only way I can think of to avoid this is if the ship had enough velocity and enough momentum that the target star could only slow down the ship until it reached its destination (hopefully a planet!). Otherwise, I don't see any other way around it.
Thanks.