Solar Sailing
This announcement has everyone from the Instapundit on down all a-twitter. But if you look at the graphic illustrating the project, anybody would recognise it as this:
From 23 years ago, a little movie called ‘Tron‘. (Never saw it? Oh! Please do.)
Fun | tree hugging sister | 
June 21, 2005 2:32 pm
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Here’s a somewhat more informative article in Pravda. Pretty dang neat. Read this classic SF book for info on the solar sail.
Neat Neat Neat.
Too cool. Let’s hope it works!
They talked about that in the original ‘Planet of the Apes‘ book and probably before that.
More info on this at the Planetary Society
Although, most of the coverage that I’ve seen/read has missed this particular point –
“2. Who is funding it?
The project is being funded by Cosmos Studios, a new science-based media and entertainment venture by Ann Druyan, the wife of our co-founder, the late Carl Sagan. The Planetary Society also gratefully acknowledges the donation of Mr. Peter Lewis of Cleveland, Ohio, and the many contributions of Society members around the world.”
Carl Sagan, and Ann Druyan, should be front and centre on the coverage.
And I will note that the website’s attempt at providing info on observing the sail isn’t very effective.
“Billions and billions” of people are funding it…
My favorite bit of Sagan trivia.
Tron rocked. I also hear rumors of a sequel. David Warner as Sark may have been my favorite thing in that movie: together with playing Evil in Time Bandits, he really nailed the “British-deadpan-in-ridiculous-costume” thing.
“End of line”.
Bwahahahaha!!!
David Warner, gosh. He was also Billy Zane’s private Creepy Guy in Titanic, and a Klingon (even a ‘good’ Klingon is a Klingon!) in Trek 6… You think that casting directors just have him on speed dial? “We need a cultured heavy! Is Warner in town this week?”