Solar Radiation Pressure

[Jonfliesgoats]

A Scott Manly video was playing on the treadmill today between my work-required study modules.  In it he mentioned that one of the Pioneer craf used folding and unfolding reflectors for attitude control.  This got me thinking about the actual pressure exerted by solar radiation near Earth.  Turns out it's about an order of magnitude stronger than I thought.

 

" CR is the solar radiation pressure coefficient (typically between 1.2 and 1.5 N/m² or Pa) and Am is the aspect area [m²] to mass [kg] ratio of the satellite."

 

Edited January 7, 2017 by Jonfliesgoats

[YNM]

It's strong enough that we can have lightsails and Kepler2 were using it for CMG replacement.

[kunok]

It's used in comercial sats for desaturating the reaction wheels. Is the only change in attitude really "free", so it's used every time possible.