Lightfoils use light to generate lift

[MarkS]

Interesting report on "lightfoils".  Whereas aerofoils use air to generate lift, lightfoils use light.  Future spacecraft could potentially "sail" round the solar system.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11927793

[Rick]

Interesting, though not exactly a first. The Japanese IKAROS demonstration spacecraft was launched last year. See this thread, and another mission, a tripple-cubesat called LightSail-1 is scheduled for launch sometime next year. The solar sail idea is at least as old as Jack Vance's 1962 story Sail 25.

[mickw]

The design of the "lightfoil" does suggest that it will more maneuverable than a "sail"

It's a similar concept to "rigid wing sails".

Do photons behave the same or similar to air ?  Would there be a "low pressure area" on the leeward side of the foil rather than just a relatively low pressure area ?

[The Thing]

Arthur C Clarke wrote a great short story, ('Sunjammer', alt. 'Wind from the Sun' 1964), about a solar sail race. It's only now we have the technology to make the fabrics and tethers big enough and light enough to attempt to do it.