X-37B Back up for 4th "Mission" with new Hall Thruster Engine + a Space Sail Trial

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http://www.space.com/29448-x37b-space-plane-launches-fourth-mission.html

A Hall thruster is a type of ion engine; it generates thrust by accelerating ions (electrically charged atoms or molecules) out the back of a spacecraft. The engine getting an in-space test on OTV-4 is an advanced version of the Hall thruster that powered the first three Advanced Extremely High Frequency military communications satellites, Air Force officials said.

"A more efficient on-orbit thruster capability is huge," Maj. Gen. Tom Masiello, commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory in Ohio, said in a statement last month. "Less fuel-burn lowers the cost to get up there, plus it enhances spacecraft operational flexibility, survivability and longevity."

Four weeks from now, LightSail, which is the size of a loaf of bread, will unfurl its 344-square-foot (32 square m) solar sail. But the craft is not going high enough to actually use the sail for propulsion; its maiden flight will test out the cubesat's attitude-control and sail-deployment systems, helping pave the way for a bona fide orbital-sailing test next year.

"It's smaller than a shoebox, everybody! And the sail that will come out of it is super shiny mylar," said Bill Nye (the Science Guy), who leads the Planetary Society, after today's successful launch. "We're very hopeful that the thing will deploy properly, the sunlight will hit it and we'll get a push."

Atmospheric drag will start pulling LightSail back down to Earth as soon as the craft's sail is unfurled, and the cubesat will likely burn up two to 10 days thereafter, Planetary Society representatives have said.

But the shiny sail should make the bantam spacecraft visible to the naked eye during its brief orbital trial. The Planetary Society will provide viewing maps and tips on its website (www.planetary.org) during the mission.

http://www.wired.com/2015/05/blasting-off-today-satellite-sails-sunbeams/

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Solar sail spacecraft salvaged, deployment set for Wednesday

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LightSail goes out in a blaze of glory

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X-37B is still up there doing it's thing - whatever that is.

The Experts reckon it's all to do with making spy SATS smaller but equally capable and equipped with Thrusters to maneuver at lower orbits to take pics of naked women on the beach. They're gonna need a bigger one though...Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) believes its Dream Chaser could be a viable alternative to the Boeing X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle for long-duration, recoverable experimentation in space.


Lightsail 2 has had its unveiling, this one IS going to a high enough orbit to test out the sail - propulsion is provided by solar radiation; solar photons exert radiation pressures on the sail, which produces a small degree of acceleration. It will start off slow, but the continuous stream of sunlight, plus the complete absence of friction, should allow it to reach relatively high speeds over time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7UBWz2mvro

The Sail is supposed to go up in the Falcon HEAVY though so lord knows when that'll be with all the delays they are having with the new fuel.

Some good Articles on Airspacemag page there, I'll throw them up over in the Random Thread.