A spacecraft geared up with a “sail” constructed from plasma might construct up pace by repeatedly crossing the boundary on the fringe of the photo voltaic system, simply as an albatross soars by benefiting from areas of various wind speeds
Space
2 December 2022
The termination shock is on the centre of this diagram, the place the photo voltaic wind first reaches interstellar house SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
A spacecraft that crosses the boundary of plasma on the fringe of our photo voltaic system could possibly be boosted to the acute speeds obligatory for interstellar journey, utilizing the same precept to how an albatross maintains flight on Earth.
The concept is an extension of a photo voltaic sail, which makes use of a big, reflective floor to “ride” the stream of particles being emitted by the solar, step by step rising in pace over time as particles …