Optimized trajectories to the nearest stars using lightweight high-velocity photon sails

@article{Heller2017OptimizedTT,
title={Optimized trajectories to the nearest stars using lightweight high-velocity photon sails},
author={Ren{\'e} Heller and Michael Hippke and Pierre Kervella Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and Gottingen and Neukirchen-Vluyn and Unidad Mixta Internacional Franco-Chilena de Astronom'ia and Universidad Catolica de Chile and Lesia and Observatoire de Paris and Cnrs and 06 Univ.Paris},
journal={arXiv: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics},
year={2017}
}
• Published 11 April 2017
• Physics, Geology
• arXiv: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
New means of interstellar travel are now being considered by various research teams, assuming lightweight spaceships to be accelerated via either laser or solar radiation to a significant fraction of the speed of light (c). We recently showed that gravitational assists can be combined with the stellar photon pressure to decelerate an incoming lightsail from Earth and fling it around a star or bring it to rest. Here, we demonstrate that photogravitational assists are more effective when the star…

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