Skip the commercials support star talk on patriarch to listen to every episode, commercial, free welcome to start on your place in the universe where science and pop culture collide. Dartle begin right now welcome to start talk bill nigh here. Your guess toes this week, a mere with my colleague charm you associate Chuck nice Jack good to see you hey bill could be here and this week is a cosmic queries in which we answer. Your question. That's right. We call the questions from the internet and all of our various incarnations, twitter, Facebook

the social media. Nor does it also media relax. Your computer me exactly so this week our focus, thank goodness jerk. Is me we're talking about the planetary society, the world's largest non governmental space interest Organization based advancing space science and exploration, crystal full disclosure! You are the fearless leader. I s right of the planetary society, seo and Just so you all know. Neil digress. Thyssen was involved with this So I am, I Carl Sagan first round me back in the disco era. We took one classroom, but it directed my life, I've loud, and so I join. Planetary society which he into other guys started. Who Friedman was an engineer, a J, P, L and Bruce Murray, who was the head of the jet propulsion lab during the Where's, your missions, the Viking missions, the hey, hey Days, Jape here right

and so I got on the mailing list and then Carl Sagan had this misfortune of getting this extraordinary, very difficult to deal with form cancer. Will he died right. I was asked to speak at his memorial service because his kids, SAM, especially like the science gusher yeah, and then I got on the board of directors and then here and then Neil was asked to be on the board of directors. How rising star in astrophysics. Now he is of course, yes, Galactic Galactic Ray elastic overlord. So anyway, then we the prayer precisely because of the the fame anarchy, women's Carl Sagan right. We your recognised enough to give Stephen hawking an award, the Cosmos Award, oh, and so we went to Cambridge

oh do you care of God and that's when you Neil and allow much time is, but there's a lot of wine. Yes, it's a lot of as the slowing why a meal and Bacchus yes good fresh zest well acquainted, and now I'm the ceo. I dont, really, I'm not sure how that happen, but I've been c, for over four years for the first time since the ninety nine. These were growing and exciting thing is. This goes back, Carl Sagan. We're going to launch our own spacecraft first weaker, may well How is solar sail a solar sale which is extraordinary, fang FI can you that known it gets pushed through base by sunlight? Yes, now that

is that seems crazy. Does him crazy? It is really intriguing, though, and you say Bill Nigh CEO printers cited. Yes, I thought light had no mass. How can it passed We have all madame when I walked on the street. If I'm John Denver and their sunshine. On my shoulder. Yes, I don't I don't get high, I don't get a push right, even if, if I'm way king on sunshine. Yes, I know and or or you might as well be walking on the same. Ok, that's the only thing is whether and when I get singing the references, stop rainy weather Moscow Physics or through relativity, ok eight, has momentum, photons have momentum is a fun little thing you can do in your head. If you're out, there you're physics person of any kind

or just ass? If you ve ever watched? U S football! Ok! mental? Yes is multiplicative, it's the one, you're multiple I Mass Times Velocity mass time, speed right, we're indirection. So ever for popular. That is more massive and he's going faster. It has more momentum right. And so along this line. Let's take equals M C squared which everybody loves now what's divide. Both sides by sea in your minds head all right then overseas, some packet of energy, divided by the speed of light right, which is causing some mass times the speed of light So some mass times some speed this momentum and that's it so somebody think about anyway, so you get those too. It's coming together, concussion Paul Basic right, but, unlike the NFL we were not in denial, so

this thing, we're gonna, have this very large sale deployed this almost you would almost dry, but his tiny spacecraft. So like a sale but then yes, it's a sailboat in Spain and, furthermore, you steer it by attacking the same way. You steer a sailor. Rattlers read not it's amazing failures, and so this goes car. I we have footage now of on the website of Carl Sagan in nineteen. Seventy six described on the tonight Joe Johnny Carson, describing sore sale. And yet a model of it and so on in this thing, is visually very, very more minutes. I, as Mr Scott would say. Well you know what do you say, Mr Scott, because the first time I learned or knew about a solar sale workers from an episode of STAR trek- and I thought it was like so cool that they came with this praise the idea and then-

read about it that they did not come up with that crazy. I always are consistent with the laws of physics, exactly that they're dead. Did they cooperate that crazy idea? So, let's, let's get to the question? Ok, so what we have before us is a number of questions from Our listeners and sometimes viewers, if they're on Youtube and they have submitted these questions, typically for you to answer bill with respect to the light sale and you do not have the questions thirdly, I do not see the question you have. I not feeling well so just for the sake of disclosure bill does not know what I'm about to ask. But these are your questions. Let's get to it. This one is from Joe Foster and he comes us to us from at fast. Do not or donut

at their good. Don't that's a good, don't let us don't say most, let's just go with that. Exactly here's! What Joe wants to know? What are you hoping to learn from this launch? What's what's the purpose and in terms of information, so the big. The biggest picture is, if you had sore sailing spacecraft that were never operated very well. You could exe What were the cost of any mission to any destination the solar system by by pick a number of factors of tens of thousands, because there's no few right. So as we say, you can trade time for money. If you have time you're a space it see, for example, Rosetta that spacecraft twelve years right to get out the comet I have time to soar. Sale is fantastic system because it gets when you think of a regular rocket the engine

one twentyman such a huge rocket. Engine might run nine minutes still further Well! That was a smaller. When I press your first one was pretty big, yes solar say I was just face so day and night weight in There's no night so gets a push, a tiny push continually for Fort continuously, rather for as long as it's in space, and so we are approving the stick our duty in the big thing is NASA and what the world Now has a standard color cube, set a cube set, cubicle satellite cubicles us cube, sat through upset upset ten centimetres by ten centimetres. Both ours is thirty centimetres, which is smaller than a loaf of bread. Really weird

when things get that small, the electronics are to be very small software. Us we very efficient everything as we really good and so weird may. We built a spacecraft estimates very for about a fifth of what would have caused a regular space agency to build. Why? Because we too said passionate guys and we're supported by forty six thousand members around the world, and so we hope to prove that sore sailing is practical on this scale and which would mean or universities, private corporations everybody to participate in inexpensive. Sis, lunar spacecraft, us between the earth and the moon and out to destinations in sources, unbelievable Emmy, very believable and extremely cool. Ok. So now, let's touch on what you just said about getting up to speed and continual speakers. Our next question is from Ben Shankar and Bill

says I mean bans in plants as though you are bill, it's a blurring really as it's just it's all a mush here up here. That's my my us what your wife was. First, I shall first she thought you're kidding the mouse what I'm seventeen years? Anyone that's right! You are absolutely correct bill. Seventy years ago she reminds me she realizes that does he's vision with her head ass. He does here. We got banned, wants to know this. How long will it take for a light sale ship to get to a useful speed and output addendum onto that? What exactly. Is a useful speak like so so the first thing is you gotta get a chemical rocket. That's our state of the art to get into above the atmosphere. Right, then sober work, We are a secondary payload on an atlas. Five, then rocket, that is descendant of the rocker. That launch on Glenn very eyes. Is engineering descent

this limit lice lineage right so, once you're in space exceed the planter recited trying to watch some for Thor sales, two thousand five, on a russian rocket. Ok, there that was left off from the cold war, and very well- and I remember would not they would not. Let us I gotta more leftovers right on a real. I was five brand new smells new. He's got a rocket Smith gets above. Atmosphere, and then, if you, for example, wanted to go to the moon, it would take you about a month to get to the moon. A man if you want to go beyond that source, you start computing years, but the thing you can go to destinations. No one's ever thought of practically like catching up with a comet would think about the same amount of time the four in April the Rosetta mission, because it's always getting up, who always always getting a push once you're out there. But what

gonna do with light say, although, as we call it light, sale is go around. The earth showed that the thing deploys show that the antenna works is quite important thing- you might not have thought about it, but when you're in lower earth orbit, if you are not a great big base Agency with U S, naval ships all over the world and the means to have stations on exotic coral attack, or in the middle of the ocean. Most of the time not over the land wrangling the time? There's nobody listening to your little beep beep beep beep, and so this sort of things have to be carefully worked out: a men, rigour Ro. Steering. Can we talk the sale. Imagine this in your minds head, you have to go John toward the sun right and then face away going away from the sun. Are you build or little energy so we're gonna,

it s like that. Now, that's fascinating, very, very cool, whether you girl, just by people just by people, thought it was cool they go. Then there's there's your end. Let's move onto Sharon Smith, snot, grist attorney Sagres, my dear, was a prisoner of war. We got him some address, really that's what he told me that, such from the fact that we have fought Chuck, I wasn't there He told me round up still used. This is true, so glad, ok, how far away from the sun candlelight sale travel before it, there's no further means of propulsion and at that point, can change direction or is it on a one way trip in last direction that it was propelled well nominally, is getting a push indefinitely that is to say, as the first cut there are always getting a push. Consider, for example, that the applause which will be visited by a spacecraft in July. Lord has it by

Spacers no sounded goes so on. Let's hear that again shall we The plutonium atmosphere grow when there's just a tiny bit of sunlight on everybody believes its volatile using some milk making some ice triangular gas. Then as it moves away from the sun that shrinks. So even way, the out there PLUTO theirs, of sunlight to influence the whole planet right so there, we'll be enough? Sunlight influences spacecraft and then, if you wanna go crazy, which is funded, do yeah. Put a laser in your minds. I on the moon, we want a sore sale and we have made an agreed. With international governments and federation is running things at that and we beam a laser on space. For solar cell spacecraft for ten thousand years in a ghost

proximate centurion goes too, Star system right pushed by humankind's ten thousand year. Nuffin breaks we all agree. This is worth doing. Lasers is right, but if you think about it, it is the only known technology that could take us to another. Star system is quite cool because there's always a push always applies always up and we can vote for four Sharon's clay. We could artificially from what you're saying we could artificially create that push. If So you have solar panels all over the far side of the moon right running a laser. But somehow redirect Sid Cellphones, always aiming at the chalk, this memorial, solar sales spacecraft meets. These are some complex issues I've seen it couldn't be done. It's gonna get ought to think about really is going to think about very cold. Related to light sail in the planetary society. Absolutely

Ok, we got a couple minutes here. So let's go. Let's go to John Thomson and he's coming to us through Twitter at aviation is his handle. He says with respect to the light sale. How are they built and Is there a top speed? Well, everybody's dream is to get to. Hundred kilometres a second spacecraft, tsar, cable. What so? Here's why to get to those speeds? You'd have to get close. Closer and closer to the sun right I have the materials that can take that right now, but this spacecraft itself Icarus Syndrome is right, but this spacecraft is made of mylar aluminized, my oars, its inaction. To mature, infected so inexpensive How how inexpensive visit so cheap that they send us a sample which was big enough to make the first set of sales,

became so in such a very the booms, as are called, are often called tape measure because they resemble a steel tape measure that you use to get size your carpet you're, a contractor sewing would or whatever the outcome and other Strutton airily stiff there. Maybe this cobalt steel hours were made at the air force, research, lab and Kirtland AIR Force Base in Albuquerque New Mexico and day. We have a proprietary mechanism to wind these things, which are four and a half metres long AMOS. Try me little well, they extend that extent, but we have proposed practice extending so if you think about it, you ever had what? When you, you have the tape measure extended right and you let go of the lock? Was writers working well. What we do is push them and so there loaded,

story loaded spring load. At their extraordinary springs there. Really there is cool and they can just of two ribbons stitched, welded together and stick Building is a term, they made up in just a laser dictated to two to two very cool. So it's a high tech thing that guy's it is have been working on for decades and we have combined. All these technologies are hoping for a successful flight, the first week of tasks, listen to start chart radio on your hosting sitting as we build. I with my co host chuck. Nice will be safer for you. I'm gonna consider singing all of the ads on this shell there's just one and where to get out of hearing there, go to patriarch arms last star talk and support where does at the five dollar level or higher to listen the star talk ad free

you can download all current episodes into your favorite podcast player and never we're here. Another commercial on star talk ever again. You will definitely not have to hear me sing if you support us at Patria, dark coms. Last our talk, radio, I mean I'm just thinking I mean just saying. World your Red STAR, George Radio, I'm your city and bore the underground station in this week. This is a big For me, I'm I'm here with shock nice Yazzi, taking your request. Who's, your cosmic queries and it's a big weak for me, because we are talking about planetary society, of which I am a ceo and our specifically our light sale, spacecraft. We has our sources, various draft which are going to launch we the norm. A is this they may, but these dates slip around its by the white shark. I didn't tell you it's it's an air

worse payload, an air force that is to say the prime. Hurry payload. Is something therefore withdrawing your early challenge. What it is there's a lot of speculation that justice by satellite or its, ex thirty seven b, lifting by but no one really sure anyway. So it's really call you guys when you think about rocket science, this part of its not that hard. The primary payload or the thing where they ve paid a lot right to load on is a mere forced the units on top then Oh, that is the secondary pewee payload This is where we are and its seven of these very small satellites, these cubes, that's right, ten cents, there's by ten centimetres by thirty centimetres smaller than a loaf of bread, and so we're on there and after the primary payload is off

then these set these seven little ones go sprains brains behind Frank off into space where these who all stainless steel sort of Jack in the box is so I say it's it's very cool, but let's get back. The questions very exciting weak for me very cool. Alright, let's go, let's go to dance when's there. How have you been sandstorm very well from what I can tell and this what he says. What is the tops? Have a solar sale of feasibly reads before the losing the sun's influence? Now here's the real question after that, could it be propelled by an bored photon source or would that be the equivalent of trying to blow your own sale. Yeah, trying to boy you're on sale exerted strangler, yours However, I can say that I haven't done so think about Dan Owen. Yes, think about it. This way, suppose you had solar panels,

and you soaked up sunlight and you power the laser on board your spacecraft years, our pensioners, spacecraft not right on your wristwatch retrim that which I have won. But that's not really it's not that is that his insides outer space, for example, so then you'd shoot the laser off some way, hoping. I mean and expecting that you'd get a push like you are holding the famous thing will stand on rowers gates and you have a bowling ball right and you throw the bowling ball to somebody. You get you go on, go right because of the conservation of or momentum, the momentum of the bowling ball going. That way will be want to your momentum going this way well imagine you did this: U soaked up sunlight drove a laser. You shoot the wiser well back up back up its simpler than that If you have just a mirror in space right,

Oh Tom Bounces often gives you a research where you go well, and so that's what the solar cells and eyes you don't even leave the old fan, the sailboat trick. We out where you ve got the electric ban in the back of a sailboat what you need is a mirror thrive in space age based space. That is a mere you have a fan right, which is decide this. Is your father. You got or push your own sailboat thought experiment So I was by the way if you have just a black surface, there's an expression in physics called a black body, a perfectly absorbent material. Yes, we have that saying in my family I was gonna, let you do when you get a push, but you get twice as much push theoretically perfect if it was a perfect Mary twice as much wasting my purse

Oh, this thing is made of super shiny, mylar, right and making out of my water. It makes it a little cheaper than if you made it out of other better fancy or like Aluminized, Captain Polly image image, but the my art. He's gonna burn up in the atmosphere, this first flight, because The man is only taking our spacecraft, the man and so taken our spacecraft tool in fifty four hundred kilometres. Ok of fifty miles is rife and there still up there. Although you and I would suffocate in a few moments right, there's still a few air molecules and so let rugs finally better atmosphere that will, but we are going to launch a second light sail in me. You have twenty! Sixteen, ok that one on the mythic modern super Falcon mine from

Spacex fancy and so that we will be a much higher altitude and we will get sore propulsion and much more easily. Now. This first test is the first test. That's right and were very hopeful that things will seed NASA has tried, Applying these sales on another spacecraft, called man or sale de ok by the way Nana Sale Man, oh so White man. Oh sat, that's another word they like, but cannot agree with that, but upset as a standard that people have settled on and by people I mean mostly. Universities in the air force is quite another cubes? That's anyway, there they tried this and it didn't deploy right. The the tape. Measure booms didn't boom. Ok, so we believe we have solve that problem where's. The guy solvents used twelve years old is twenty six right. Of course, any just wrote it

and he is now a billion right? That's how it works so no eyes their young guys in there and many men and women in their passionate, and they just done out standing work. It's really ass. What Dan Owens! Thank you for that great question and answer is the sun? Is your fan always remember that our let's move on and let's go to where the sun is The science is your family dont forget this. That's right! That's strange, attract sorry Joey Piero Skull from, and I love it that Chile rights from Green Bay was caught in here. Hey belt. The light cell technology is phenomenal. However, how will you prevent microscopic space debris from penetrating or completely destroying its fragile mirrors or, as you call it, mylar that it needs for proposing? This is a really great question. Joey

I am interested right now and bill. I loved the look in your face. Let's have it so two things joy. First of all that three things first thing. Thank you for your question, that's an outstanding question and many people wondered that, but we'll start with. Not that many micro meteorites we all worry about cause. That's what you hear about we and space debris has seriously weakens our hall in my soon we see, that's never happened. Get our example is that all Hollywood? No, Oh, it's all sort of common sense, its there's just not that much stuff is not love stuff up there. With that said, the sale manufacturers have embedded this rip stop feature, and when you look at the and by that I mean they're strands or fibres. Into the mile into the fabric into the shiny plastic super thin stuff. Ok, and if you look, John grazing angle. You can see the lines a mere about

two centimeters apart a little less than an inch apart, go on this way above all, go in that way and so to keep it from tearing me. Sleeping just handling it with humans with those Cornel white gloves on when they re folded like origami in this clean room anyway, I as a great question but rethink we redress that Micro meteorite, going at ten kilometres are second or seven miles of certain just go right through price. It won't. You're up. There were the utility knife going wrong. It's like the old pirate knife and the sale of threat, the beach, just poker or but nervous rip stop built into it. So this rip stop weaves so so to speak, actually keeps it from liked. Her like a running a stock exact keeps it from continuing on. This is an old trick him. It's called a clay. Polymer mylar is a brand name like tissue or frisbie

play polymer and polymers plus clay means it has an Cohen, it has a notch. Hydrogen hanging off the end, and it does something to make this plastic. Have these wonderful property as fantastic hate, jelly periscope. That was a really great question life right. We do not act. Jelly, nice job! Ok, let's see here are right. This isn't nuts. These people are thinking man. This is arrogant, check your choosing Goodwood now you know what I, got my I'm she's in Dublin. This is Erics hard. Eric shard would like to know what light sales be: a viable approach to de orbiting comets to aid in terror, forming bars excellent acts. Loser kick acts not lie to not until you come, it would be ideal for changing the orbit of camp com. It's ok

now along this line. To hold this. In shock who's this. This is Eric shower. Eric along this line. Eric keep in mind that there might be a shorter term more important use. This closely related to your question, is of changing the orbit of comments. We might want to change the orbit of an asteroid. That's what I was there, so it doesn't heading. That's what I'm saying like, for instance, a pacifist is actually going to go through them. Key hole and we are guy you're down. Jacques. Exactly right upon us name for the God of anxiety, that's gonna menaced us, God of worry, is gonna miss us, but for when it was discovered that look like it would not miss exactly and we end as we always liked to say it may be wrong. We may be wrong they're probabilities here, but Imagine this Eric! You

We have a sore sale that would catch up with an asteroid which is not trivial catch up with it and then to right. Just get on top of it and then The Chinese would change. The momentum. Would change Take sunlight momentum and change the path of the asteroid, just ass, its advocates lightened, and so Oh then, now to get back to the bigger picture of your question of taking comments which might be full of ice and smashing Amanda Mars so that we can terror for Mars. Terror form being a word. That to you and me is makes sense. But if you talk to argue the cave guy, he would think you'd come lost your mind. Ok, it's a whole planet can barely manage the planet that we live on. We have enough a ball with managing water here and weed

Do a very well, but I saw ok, I went with enough trouble. You couldn't go with suck year. We saw cover let's not sugar coated robot. That said you guys about terraforming, Mars, there's a reason. Mars doesn't have much of an atmosphere and that's the sore wind scrapes, the atmosphere off the sore, whether these particles cream off of stars, case the sun and leaves rape, the martian atmosphere away because Mars isn't quite big enough to have a magnetic field to stay molten to cry magnetic field which it's! The charged particles come streaming to the poles instead of sideways tangentially across the surface. So you it's terrifying Mars? That's it! Nobody mean Zaka here, She's, not the mouths of York. Aisy, there's not debris, there's nothing to eat and its freaking cold. You guys we live in this world on on this worldwide humankind.

Has migrated all over the place. Everybody Mr Africa jog your people. Much more recently, then my people, wet north. You have my people is Africa's. Did it's like that, but it actually I'll bring you to hold digression? skin color, but it has to do with ultra violet light. You go north into Mesopotamia than you migrate across Europe. Recourse Eurasia then there's this week stage all the snow is frozen up in the mountains, so we can just walk to Sarah payments place last South Korea, everybody or by everybody I mean all the big man, ozone, eating meat bright and We d migrate across all the way down to South America School, but we're running out of places to which to migrate. That is so true, you're, not gonna, be able just to leave the earth and go to Mars is a very complicated and long distance. However, if you

listen, spacecraft Mars to study its environment, and I recommend that we all do that. I cannot help but recommend solar sailing as a means of inexpensive propulsion. For let us say, citizen research for people were interested in interplanetary missions. You embrace a sore salespeople, not the way to sail which the planetary society he's gonna allowed hours a week of May. Did you see that circle of life, back around. You see that that was fantastic, great, do it well, there you have it forget about Mars. Now, and it happened the solar when com stolen in cross, the atmosphere are right and take a chair musical styling of chalk mega very much pleased EL yourself so movements here in the Stardust lounge Tipp your servers, tragic, let's go with a real, quick question because we have just a just a little bit.

Up here with the Logan its. I guess it's keeps Logan says all the talk is about propulsion of solar sale. My question is: how does it stop make flight path, corrections, etc? So hundred Rockets when that defeat the purposeful? Yes, you seldom stop. In space, ass. When you learn on the surface of Mars, you stop, but mostly you go into orbit around things By that I mean you start out in orbit around something chart. The big thing you start out in orbit around is out of the earth. Our soldiers are jobs, that's everybody Ashley on board, even when we're on the earth were in orbit around the sun, even when you're orbiting the earth rather in orbit around the sun is welcome so seldom stop. You go out there and just the right trajectory to get captured by, let us say Mars, Mars's gravity or the moons gravity. That's the most at a much more common thing. In a spacecraft mission,

and light sales ideally suited to that. Its ideal for that, so it's gonna, be an exciting launch supported. Planetary society members around the world- and we don't stop basically we're, don't stop the boy sale will Missouri burn up membership dollars at work, but it's gonna be a fantastic national. Regional, learn, a lot about an anomaly that I mean I'm build. I guess toes this week and start talk. My programme chuck nice and we'll be right back welcomes taught radio, I'm sitting in euros, build I'm here with my colleague, conspirator Chuck NICE and its cosmic queried time where we take your questions, but this week I M very excited as the ceo of them Jerry Society, to take questions at all to do with our solar sale, spacecraft, online sales, spacecraft, light sale which launches

first week of May on an ATLAS five. And the A everybody is the world's largest now non governmental space interest group, we that space science and exploration. So that's it. Since enabling citizens of the world to know cosmos and our place within it, and so we advocate in U S Congress for good space, policy and limited extent in Europe in a very limited extent in Israel, The meeting this year's in Israel a very limited extent in India and in Japan. Members around the world who have a great interest in advance. Space, science and exploration, and that's why we built this very who also or spacecraft Chuck yes, sir, you got questions. I've got great question. So far I have to say that our audience has been thinking why, in depth about this light, sale

and we ve had some really really interested and want to sound so surprised They're your fan so clearly there there smart people. This is true. They are so, let's wow, and I don't know if this person's actually school with me you know that this radio chalk, don't righteous, don't give him too much information. I write so it sir they Rick is sweet. China cake, that's it I did. My asked towards using roman characters to prescribe a language that they were made for absolutely, but we're doing our best go for how can how big of a saint was required for this project? does the size of a sale actually matter, in other words, bitter assail fashionable here, is that you, yes, and it's more, such as the bigger the sale, exactly it's, the bigger the sale all have to the mass of the whole thing got right. Writer so the sailors. Thirty

square metres, is quite large. Compared to this thing, which these spacecraft, us, as is called, is smaller than for bread this will be the highest acceleration spacecraft, the solar cell spacecraft launched hi it'll have the most on for its mass of the japanese Aerospace, expiration, idiocy Jackson launch this very cool icarus, spacecraft A few years ago that was a demonstration that they could do it. No work. Fine ended. It was intended that whole spacecraft end up in orbit around Venus, but and so now is enough in an orbit about. The same distance from the sun, but not around Venus about single. Since has venuses from the sun, so we are. We are oh sir, we're close friends with our bodies, a jack so who got a lot of got a lot of experienced by

following the same work really really well, but because it is six hundred kilos, spacecraft similar killed room, spacecraft, it didn't get much acceleration. Strangely enough, as light sale will get here, the first we can make interesting. Now here's the follow up to that question for the says we can several weeks after that themselves, boy and atmospheric conditions have to be just right and so that the system moved slowly disclaimers, so I'm not sure if death, which is trying to express a disbelief in light sales but says in addition, how much funding is put into figuring out in a fish fusion reactor, that's a separate issue. That's what's gonna say like. Are you saying, like light sales, works. Are we really need a fusion reactor actually there

the light sale does work on a fusion reactor met might be his time, whereas the diversion reactor chalk actors to take a shot take a shot we have a fusion reactor at a safe distance. I'm gonna say that would be the bit plasma ball in the sky. The sun go right now, is our react. Hijacker he's the man he's a real checks, so it's the sun provides the hydrogen abroad, combined to make what we normally call helium atoms and it didn't happen. Just release a tremendous amount of energy photons which will push the light sale, but invest fusion reactor is something we do, here in United States as taxpayers all the time Fusion reaction reactors are always in my experience, a forty years away there. Always for years in the future,

it doesn't matter what time it is that you're thinking about my whole life, forty years, but that doesn't mean somebody we'll figure it out. I not being dismissive but planetary societies not really into building fusion reactors worry into taking it image of the net draw fusion reactor, which we call the sun very cold Take another question: I right. Let's take another question all right: this is from Denard sprinkle coming to us from Google Plus and Denard says the first attempt at the light sale by teepee yes was, sadly a tragedy. Gps, everybody means the planetary society. Ok, two thousand five Cosmos, one crashed in the bear see which I had not really notice,

before it's in the Arctic is part of the area of the Arctic Ocean lead all. He says this isn't not instilling a lot of confidence there Denard. Will there be a third attempt it? The same should befall the second attempt. So if same freight befalls our white sale, light sail away. We have rights, b, which launches in May of twenty sixteen Yeah we're going out to sea and of Europe planetary society? Member. Thank you because one of the things that my predecessor did do was get everybody by sending letters to people, get everybody to build a second spacecraft. What once you have the design building second one isn't merely as difficult as you mom. Are you mass produce car tyres exactly in the Ets Making. The hardware is one thing, but it's really it's the software man ass would just takes it.

People a long time to get to really actually work. Actually, you can get it almost work right away right, but also work is a lot like not work but we gotta work it and so everybody's very excited. That's a great question. Almost work is a lot like not working, so there you have it. I wasn't requested way to go there Denard. I appreciate you pardon me for that whether light so sorry when we back up here, this is from Andy. Visit. That gives me every time out of tariffs and the border, the showing our age I mean you I know, there's rewinding now is not a blue. Is that electromechanical things through our and click on a collector, mainly to see exactly Andy Bracken wants to know where the light sale

be used in the future for missions to the planet's just our outer play. Is this basically the future, a future Campbell we can eliminate you. Can you make this the future we claim it is so, as we say, if you have time, Are you can trade that for money? In other words, white sales we'll go wherever you want. Well zones get too close to the sun with our current materials right, we'll go a long way over on time, but yes, missions to more, in Japan, or have been discussed at length in theirs guys. You are people who are into this and they run the numbers. They do calculations on this in the s it's all quite doable, but the law, this journey jock yes starts with, but a single step So that's why we're doing light sale. I hear and may fantastic sobered its

I all of your unmanned missions. This could be yes, yes could be that thing. For all of your unmanly. I fear, and the big thing is the cost is so much lower than the chemical rocket. That cute That's as recalled what another sales or not are made by universities by small companies and now, which is really help things. The air force is quite interested in cube sets and they want to fly there when a fly and armada them a flight of them? I guess in the air force we don't have our models, we afraid three things in formation cubes information. And they would look for if we use as wide aperture radar, would have you in and along this line, in May, we are going to have a companion mission. Cube sad is gonna, be part of a George attack proximity

mission. Were you the spacecraft, keep their stations relative to each other like ships at sea, so it's very robot chuck coming up on four minutes left in the shop we are- and I think you know what that means. I believe that means it is time for an hour lightning rod where we take your question raised very quickly here. We go the first question from the lightning round: Jack nice. How easy would it be for to repair the light sale if my, Romania, Macromedia Royds peppered it like a shot gun shot. So this isn't just won. T like we talked about earlier in the show. This is a shot gun shot like pop up. Where still have a little bit of proportion, with the shreds of sale that are still there, but that that shred that job ripped up feature? I think we'll keep that shit. Current eventuality,

from venture sweet. Ok, what does the ideals, but First, the lightning round? I'm sorry, I'm screwing up the lightning round, because I did not give the last person name which is Gabe Zella is the motto of cares about. Oh thank you, but next question: ok, this from Jesse Robertson, coming from Google plus what is the ideal speed of travel and how long, Will it take to achieve that speed or first followed your lower that we're matter? you can go units that the ultimate oh, by the way, to get a two hundred kilometres a second, where you're going very close to the sun and get sworn way they hack out of the solar system. But in the meantime, weren't earth orbit, So in nautical miles you and seven miles a second seven miles of second just to get started there you go airing Kelly was coming us too to us from Twitter, says ocean sailing ships used to kill in a rudder to leverage.

When on the sales and steer is there an equivalent for the law, say I love this question. Yes, so what we do? Two things first of all, we have torque rods. These are twist rods that reactor Hence the earth magnetic field as electromagnets. There this long, job, ok, but one centimeter sunshine and the very fine wire walnuts. Electricity comes onto solar panels which are part of the spacecraft and you twist against the earth magnetic field than the other is there is an old technology which we love, gyroscopes, which in based graft? Often go by the expression? Momentum, wheels, IRAN, electric where's, keep him spinning right and they twist Wu Wu Wu twist against, gravity and orbital motion and

squash, also we're steering and tackling the light snail's pace. Glaring attacking I love, thought the whole gyroscope, though, in that sector. Ok, Nelson is amazing But that's Nelson is amazing, elzevirs amazing. How would you predict a Wholesale could revolutionise ok life on earth. In other words, how does it change international travel for us down here as opposed to travel up there? Well, but it would do if a practically you wouldn't get on a light sale and fly around roared you're to massive you gonna, braided, spades and so can't breathe in space. But what could practically happened is the future of, let us say, air air traffic control could involve cube sets fly information to make excellent high quality inexpensive higher

ability, radars could happen. K are at that. We have time for just one more, and this is pretty sure you want to know can sail be wrapped up in orbit for a few years and then It's a ride. Well, yeah we're gonna we're gonna run for about a month, which is very traditional because so little of the time are you over land to get I met you gonna run for about a month before we deploy the sails and we are also planning to run test. Of extending and retracting sales. The same will you furl and unfurl rules on ships, it see you I've been listening to start talk. Radio with your guess, told me,

build I and my colleague conspirator chalk, nice. I think I very much for your excellent questions and we could consider the plant of fairy society like failsafe trap. A push people start on which you can listen. The star talk Commercial free joint start talking Patria for as little as five dollars per month, and the ads will disappear. Learn more at patriarch dot com, slap, star, talk, radio!