NanoSail-D satellite development. NASA engineers with a fully deployed NanoSail-D satellite. The solar sail, with an area of 10 square metres, consist

---

NanoSail-D satellite development. NASA engineers with a fully deployed NanoSail-D satellite. The solar sail, with an area of 10 square metres, consists of four triangular membranes of ultra-thin CP-1 polymer supported by thin metal tape booms. This image was obtained on 18 June 2008. The satellite was launched on 3 August 2008, but was lost due to rocket problems. An identical spare, the NanoSail-D2 was launched on 20 November 2010, and has been operating in low-Earth orbit since 20 January 2011. It was expected to burn up in the atmosphere within a few months, but the orbit is decaying slower then expected.

---

Size: 3639px × 2418px
Photo credit: © NASA/MSFC/D. HIGGINBOTHAM/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 2008, 21st, adult, american, boom, caucasian, century, clean, cp-1, cubesat, delicate, deployed, deploying, engineer, engineers, experiment, experimental, human, inspecting, june, light, male, man, membrane, men, nanosail, nanosail-, nanosail-d2, nasa, people, person, polymer, research, room, sail, satellite, solar, spacecraft, spaceflight, technician, technicians, technological, technology, test, testing, white, workshop