Japan To Launch Solar Sail Spacecraft "Ikaros" 138
separsons writes "On May 18th, Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will launch Ikaros, a fuel-free spacecraft that relies completely on solar power. The spacecraft's 46-foot-wide sails are thinner than a human hair and lined with thin-film solar panels. After a rocket brings the craft to space, mission controllers on the ground will steer Ikaros by adjusting the sails' angles, ensuring optimal radiation is hitting the solar cells. If the mission proves successful, the $16M spacecraft will be the first solar sail-powered craft to enter deep space."
Re:Icarus? (Score:3, Interesting)
That's possible, but I would doubt it. Greek words and names were usually transliterated by the Latins with "c" for Greek kappa (and "us" for cases with Greek second-declension masculine[omicron-sigma/"os"]). And this was done even after Etruscan had gone extinct. Maybe the tradition of transliterating as such came from the Etruscans, I don't know.
Is it just me or is Japan's space program awesome (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Is it just me or is Japan's space program aweso (Score:1, Interesting)
That's an excellent attitude and it (unsurprisingly) mirrors my own thoughts on Japan's space program. They're doing *cool stuff* that can spark the imagination. And they're doing it for amazingly reasonable sums of money.