Microscopic approach to analyze solar-sail space-environment effects Original Research Article

Near-sun space-environment effects on metallic thin films solar sails as well as hollow-body sails with inflation fill gas are considered. Analysis of the interaction of the solar radiation with the solar-sail materials is presented. This analysis evaluates worst-case solar radiation effects during solar-radiation-pressure acceleration. The dependence of the thickness of solar sail on temperature and on wavelength of the electromagnetic spectrum of solar radiation is investigated. Physical processes of the interactions of photons, electrons, protons and α-particles with sail material atoms and nuclei, and inflation fill gas molecules are analyzed. Calculations utilized conservative assumptions with the highest values for the available cross sections for interactions of solar photons, electrons and protons with atoms, nuclei and hydrogen molecules. It is shown that for high-energy photons, electrons and protons the beryllium sail is mostly transparent. Sail material will be partially ionized by solar UV and low-energy solar electrons. For a hollow-body photon sail effects including hydrogen diffusion through the solar-sail walls, and electrostatic pressure is considered. Electrostatic pressure caused by the electrically charged sail’s electric field may require mitigation since sail material tensile strength decreases with elevated temperature. It also can substitute inflation-gas pressure loss due to gas diffusion and perforation by micrometeoroids impact to keep the sail inflated.