Bill Nye, acting as the CEO of the Planetary Society, wants to further the idea of space exploration for everyone. The group is currently running a Kickstarter campaign for LightSail, their ship that will convert photons into propulsion.
Using a standard cube satellite and thirty two square meters of 4.5 micron thick mylar, Nye hopes to build and launch a solar craft by 2016. The idea that photons have no mass but produce a minor amount of momentum means that sunlight has the ability to push the LightSail when a large surface area is created by the ship.
The Planetary Society wants to continue their work with the idea that they run the peoples’ space exploration network. The society is the world’s largest non-governmental space exploration organization dedicated to the advancement of science and exploration.
Nye says that solar sails can be low cost and low maintenance, requiring only very small amounts of fuel for propulsion. The hope is that LightSail can be delivered as part of the very first Falcon Heavy launch.
As a Kickstarter campaign the LightSail couldn’t be in better hands. A professional job has been done with the editing, writing and promotion and having Bill Nye and Neil Degrasse Tyson as your spokesmen can only be good for business.
The $200,000 goal has already been passed and almost tripled by the funding committed at this point. Stretch goals reach all the way to $1,000,000 dollars.
Technical information is available on the Kickstarter page, which you can visit here.