Japan's Ikaros solar sail has sent back stunning self-portraits that show the experimental craft fully deployed like a 46-foot-square kite in outer space. The pictures were taken 6 million miles (10 million kilometers) from Earth by 2.5-inch-long (6-centimeter-long), spring-loaded cylindrical cameras that popped out from the spacecraft's central hub for this very purpose. These schematics show more clearly how the mini-cameras work. The experimental Ikaros spacecraft, launched on May 20 along with Japan's Venus orbiter, is designed to help scientists find out whether solar sails can actually be propelled by the pressure of the sun's rays. Ikaros' thin panels also have a layer of photoelectric cells that could generate additional power for the spacecraft. If the test works ... and we may not know that for weeks or months ... future solar sails may be built to fly to other worlds or other stars. For additional perspectives on solar sailing, check out the reports from the Planetary Society's Emily Lakdawalla and Discovery News' Irene Klotz.
JAXA A picture beamed back to Earth shows a closeup of the fully deployed Ikaros solar sail.
