Solar Sail: Principles of Construction, Control, and Flights to Asteroids

The principal design scheme of a self-deploying solar sail is proposed. The minimum mass of extended parts of the sail, constituting a frame and satisfying the requirement of strength, is estimated. Two types of control, which are differently realized in the construction, are considered. An approximate mathematical model describing the spacecraft motion relative to its center of mass is suggested, within the framework of which a constraint on control is imposed, connected with the inertia and extension of the construction. The results of calculation of minimum times of heliocentric flights from the circular orbits of the Earth, Mars, and Vesta asteroid to other asteroids are presented, showing an acceptability of spacecraft with a solar sail for the solution to such problems.