Projects: Space Information
The Planetary Report
Volume XXIV, Number 6, November/December 2004
Credit: Rick Sternbach, Space Model Systems |
On the Cover
Cosmos 1 has set sail around Earth, its Mylar blades reflecting
the planet that launched it. In the background, the Milky Way beckons.
From The Editor
As I write this, we have literally just announced the launch date for Cosmos
1, the first space mission to be conducted by a private membership
organization—and the first solar-sail–propelled spacecraft to
leave Earth. Launch is set for March 1, 2005, with a window that extends
until April 7.
I know Planetary Society members all realize how significant this launch
will be. For the first time in history, a group of people have banded together
outside government and industry to conduct a mission to space. Twenty-five
years ago, when The Planetary Society was formed, few would have thought it
possible, but the dedication and support of our members are making it happen.
So get ready for Cosmos 1. In this issue, you can brush up on details
of the project. Then, we’ll soon be inaugurating Solar Sail Watch, which
will ask people around the world to watch the skies for Cosmos 1 and
help us track our spacecraft as it begins to orbit Earth and, we hope, gradually
move away from its home world to demonstrate that solar sailing works.
In this mission, events will move too fast for us to keep you informed through
The Planetary Report, so if you can, check our website often. You’ve
made this history-making mission possible. Don’t miss a chance to share
in your well-deserved pride in Cosmos 1.
— Charlene M. Anderson
Features
Cosmos 1: The Journey Begins!
It’s finally happening! Our Cosmos 1 solar sail spacecraft—the
most ambitious project The Planetary Society has ever undertaken—is
ready to leave Earth and begin its journey to space. We’re ready to
make history by proving that the Sun’s light really can be harnessed
to propel a spacecraft—a technology that could one day lead to interstellar
flight. For four years we’ve reported on the ups and downs of this precedent-setting
mission. Now the spacecraft is built and undergoing its final checkout, and
we couldn’t be more excited. Here, we share the mission details and
chronicle the development of the spacecraft as we gear up for our March 2005
launch.
Our First Look Inside a Comet: Deep Impact
In July 2005, the Deep Impact flyby spacecraft will arrive at comet
9P/Tempel 1 and deliver a special package: a 370-kilogram (820-pound) copper
impactor on a collision course with the comet. Deep Impact co-investigator
Lucy McFadden and principal investigator Mike
A’Hearn detail how this
unusual mission came to be and what they’re hoping to learn about the
comet (and our early solar system) by examining the fresh impact crater left
behind.
DEPARTMENTS
Members’ Dialogue
We Make It Happen!
World Watch
Questions and Answers
Society News
The Planetary Report is available only to Members of The Planetary Society. If you'd like to read these and other exciting features, JOIN THE PLANETARY SOCIETY TODAY!
MEMBERS: Download this and other back issues of The Planetary Report in PDF format from the For Members section of the website.
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