I’m going to tell you about the craziest proposal for an astrophysics mission that has a good chance of actually happening. A train of spacecraft sailing the sun’s light to a magical point out there in space where the Sun’s own gravity...

There are a lot of ways to get around in space, from using plain old sunlight to making super-hot plasma. We’ve talked about a lot of propulsion methods over the years, and now, it’s time for some highlights!

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Solar sail technology was once only theoretical, but it's now being developed to propel spaceships. How did the first solar sails get into space, and why?

We've launched thousands of spacecraft over the years. And as the space junk around our planet builds up, researchers are working on ways to clean things up using some obvious things, like lasers, and some less obvious ones, like solar...

When scientists are planning missions, they sometimes have to take into account the fact that the light from the Sun pushes on the spacecraft. But with solar sails, they can also use that pressure to propel the craft along.

On May 21, 2010, Japan launched the first solar sail into space. Solar sail technology uses light for spacecraft propulsion, but not in the same way that traditional solar panels do. While solar panels use light to generate electricity,...

Skywatching: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Also, a solar sail streak across the night sky and more!<b<br/>r/>

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Sometimes, the acceptance of a lack of knowledge is far more valuable than conjecture. That being said, let’s talk about what we do know, because regardless, it is very weird.

Unlike the dinosaurs, we have a space program. There are many ways we could steer an asteroid off its path towards Earth.

NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Program Executive Jason Derleth discusses visionary concepts that could transform future space missions.

NASA's Les Johnson discusses solar sail propulsion and the upcoming Near-Earth Asteroid Scout and Solar Cruiser missions.

What if you could power a ship using sunlight instead of wind? Well in space, you can! Solar sails or light sails are pushed with light from the sun. Photons provide a kick when they reflect off the sail pushing the sail like an air...

Les Johnson and Julie Castillo-Rogez describe an experiment that will be deployed from the Artemis I mission to explore a near-Earth asteroid. HWHAP Episode 235.

A new book reasserts the astronomer author’s controversial claim about mankind’s first observed interstellar object

NASA has announced the successful completion of a mission by NanoSail-D2, a mini-satellite with a solar sail that orbited the Earth for 240 days before performing a controlled reentry and burnout. NASA is interested in using solar sails...