Sailing as Space Transport? - Maybe...
Will we go back to the Age of Sail when we one day travel through Space? The answer from NASA is 'Maybe', as they start launching small satellites called 'nanosatellites', and getting active in space innovation.
'NanoSail-D in space'
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Now, through an innovative partnership between Marshall Space Flight Center and Ames Research Center, NASA will propel a satellite the size of a loaf of bread through space with an ultra-thin, 100-square-foot sail. Developed and constructed in just six months, the joint engineering team built on Ames' experience with small satellite development and Marshall's expertise in solar sails and advanced propulsion systems.
About NASA's Small Satellite Missions:
NASA's ability to rapidly develop and launch ground-breaking technologies into space just got more efficient and less expensive. NASA is pulling together engineers and scientist from across the country to develop and fly very small satellites, also called nanosatellites, in extremely short time frames.
Small satellite missions provide NASA with valuable opportunities to test emerging technologies and economical commercial off-the-shelf components which may be useful in future space missions.
Using small and very small satellites (weighing between 2-440 pounds) NASA can test innovative science and engineering technologies on a smaller scale in the space environment and better understand how hardware will survive the radiation, temperature and vacuum conditions encountered in space.
NASA nanosatellites are designed for a wide spectrum of space missions including biology experiments, testing advanced propulsion and communications technologies.
NanoSail-D is made of extremely lightweight gossamer fabric designed to glide into space.
by BW Media 
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