A team of scientists has just revealed a discovery that could revolutionize the way we perceive interplanetary travel. Imagine being able to reach Mars, our red “neighbor”, in less time than it takes you to decide what to watch on Netflix in a month. Thanks to a material that you are perhaps discovering now for the first time: it is called airgraphite.
The rise of airbrush
The idea of space travel towed by solar sails is not new. For years, scientists have dreamed of using the propulsive force of photons, or beams of light, to push spaceships through the vacuum of space.
La planetary society demonstrated the potential of solar sails in space for the first time with its mission Light Sail 2. This mission lifted a small CubeSat to a height of 3,2 kilometers (1,9 miles) using only the propulsive force of photons. A result that opened the door to further research and development in the field of solar sails: and today, with airbrush, things could change.
Airgraphite is a lightweight and durable material, with a porous structure that makes it ideal for capturing and reflecting sunlight. How light? Very, very much. With its density of 0.18 kg per cubic meter, airbrushing outperforms all other materials used so far. But it's not just its lightness that makes it special: its ability to reflect light efficiently makes it an ideal candidate for solar sails. And, as the name suggests, it literally combines air and graphite into a unique structure.
Mars in 26 days? It's not science fiction
The recent study published in the journal Astronautics Act (I link it here) took solar sailing to a new level. By simulating trips to Mars using airbrush solar sails, scientists have found that a trip to the red planet it may only take 26 days. When you consider that a traditional journey to Mars with current means can take months, the idea of reaching our neighbor in such a short time is exciting.
For the "space fanatics" (those who "even traveling at the speed of light we are still far away and will never discover anything") this news may mean little. For those on Earth ("with all the problems on the planet are you going into space?") it might not even mean anything.
For everyone else, the speed at which we can travel in space is important to unlock faster and more efficient missions. Sorry if it's not much.
