P3_11 Space Aerofoils

Abstract

There are many dierent types spacecraft propulsion, ranging from powerful rockets to far less powerful solar sails. This paper investigates whether an aerofoil could be used to provide propulsion to a spacecraft. It was found that to get a reasonable force (comparable to a solar sail) the aerofoil would need to be 1200m^2 and the orbit would have to be within 0.01AU from the centre of the sun.