Astronomy and Space

Electric sail

An electric sail (also known as an electric solar wind sail or an E-sail) is a proposed form of spacecraft propulsion using the dynamic pressure of the solar wind as a source of thrust. It creates a "virtual" sail by using small wires to form an electric field that deflects solar wind protons and extracts their momentum. The idea was first conceptualised by Pekka Janhunen in 2006 at the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

Also on this shelf

See also

• ▸Eta Corvi
• ▸Chelmsford Cathedral
• ▸Eta Lyrae

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