Good Luck, Nanosail-D!

For Immediate Release
November 18, 2010

Contact
Mat Kaplan
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1-626-793-5100

NASA's Nanosail-D is scheduled to launch tomorrow, and the Planetary Society wishes the mission every success. Developed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight and Ames Research Centers, Nanosail helped inspire the Planetary Society’s LightSail spacecraft, which is scheduled to be ready early in 2011 to carry out the first solar sail-propelled flight in Earth orbit.

"Nanosail has opened the way for a class of advanced spacecraft that someday may lead us to the stars. Its successful flight will advance solar sail technology and may lead to new applications for removing orbital debris through atmospheric drag," said Louis Friedman, Project Director of LightSail and co-founder of the Planetary Society.

Read more of Friedman's statement about the launch of Nanosail-D.

About The Planetary Society

With a global community of more than 2 million space enthusiasts, The Planetary Society is the world’s largest and most influential space advocacy organization. Founded in 1980 by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman and today led by CEO Bill Nye, we empower the public to take a meaningful role in advancing space exploration through advocacy, education outreach, scientific innovation, and global collaboration. Together with our members and supporters, we’re on a mission to explore worlds, find life off Earth, and protect our planet from dangerous asteroids. To learn more, visit www.planetary.org.

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