Question

A solar sail is used to propel a spacecraft. It uses the pressure (force per unit area) of sunlight instead of wind. Assume the sail and its spacecraft have a mass of 245 kg. If the sail has an area of 62,500 m2 and achieves a velocity of 8.93 m/s in 12.0 hours starting from rest, what pressure does light of the Sun exert on the sail? To simplify the problem, ignore other forces acting on the spacecraft and assume the pressure is constant even as its distance from the Sun increases.

Answer 1

v=a•t => a=v/t,
F =m•a =>mv/t,
Pressure is
P =F/A = m•v/t•A =
245•8.93/a2•3600•62500 = 8.1•10^-7 Pa