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SPACE SAILING GLOSSARY

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alpha - angle between the incident light and the ship's reference axis or the normal to a flat reflector

areal density - the mass divided by the sail area, expressed in g/m2, typically using sail mass, sail+bus mass, sail+bus+payload mass, or membrane mass before fabrication into a sail

boom - a linear structural element that holds a sail(s) open, typically extending from a ship's center or from a mast

characteristic acceleration - the acceleration a sailing ship would experience at 1 AU from the Sun while facing the Sun, used as a reference of performance, abbreviated as ac

disk sailer - a ship with a circular plan form, often without compression members and relying on stiffening by means of rotation

Doppler effect - a shift in wavelength caused by relative motion of a body toward or away from the source of the radiation or sound

Earth synchronous - Sun-centered orbital motion where a sail or other craft maintains a constant position relative to Earth

gravity assist - an encounter at hyperbolic speed with a body of substantial mass which results in turning the velocity vector of the spacecraft, typically used to change orbit energy, size, eccentricity, inclination, or orientation

heliogyro - a rotating sailer using long blades for sails; the blades twist to control the ship

light pressure - pressure on a surface obtained by changing the momentum of impinging light (or other electromagnetic radiation)

light sailing - travel in space using light pressure for propulsion of a sailing ship

mast - a linear structural element perpendicular to the plane of the sails

planet synchronous - Sun-centered orbital motion where a sail or other craft maintains a constant position relative to a planet

rigging - the set of lines giving strength and stability to a system of sails, booms, and mast(s) (if included)

sail - a thin, often large, often membranous structure used for propulsion or attitude control of a ship, spacecraft, or other space structure

sail loading - see areal density

sailer - a sailing ship; a ship using sails

sailor - a crew member on a sailing ship; a person working on space sailing ships who would, with no hesitation, sign on as a crew member if an opportunity was available

solar pressure - light pressure obtained by using unaltered light from the Sun or other star

solar sailing - travel in space using solar pressure for propulsion of a sailing ship

solar wind - the flux of particles emitted by a star, mostly electrons and protons traveling at a few hundred meters/second at 1 AU, carrying less momentum than sunlight

space sailing - travel in space by means of pressure on sails

sphere of influence - the roughly spherical volume of space centered on a planet where its gravity dominates that of the central star

square sailer (or square-rigged sailer) - a sailing ship with an overall square form

stay - a rigging line

Sun synchronous - Sun-centered orbital motion where a sail or other craft maintains a constant position relative to a point on the Sun

swingby - see gravity assist

theta - angle between the resultant force vector and the radial from the light source