this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2024
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NASA's solar sail successfully spreads its wings in space (www.space.com)
submitted 2 months ago by kalkulat@lemmy.world to c/science@lemmy.world
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[–] treadful@lemmy.zip 81 points 2 months ago (26 children)

Though photons don't have mass, they can force momentum when they hit an object — that's what a solar sail takes advantage of.

Sounds like a bug.

[–] HarmBasket@lemmy.world 29 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It’s a feature.

[–] Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 2 points 2 months ago

Either way, NASA is already exploiting it. I guess, next they’ll find a way to glitch through the very fabric of the universe to teleport to a distant galaxy without moving at all or even using any energy.

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