What this work contributes
The electric sail couples the electric potential of long conducting tethers to solar-wind particles, obtaining thrust by deflecting an external momentum stream. The paper describes the positively charged tether system, onboard electron gun, construction, navigation, and simulation work needed to make that concept testable.
Where the evidence stops
Projected thrust and mass are estimates within a development concept, not flight-demonstrated performance; power, charge balance, plasma conditions, and deployment remain part of the system.
Original source
P. Janhunen; P. K. Toivanen; J. Polkko; S. Merikallio; P. Salminen; E. Haeggström; H. Seppänen; R. Kurppa; J. Ukkonen; S. Kiprich; G. Thornell; H. Kratz; L. Richter; O. Krömer; R. Rosta; M. Noorma; J. Envall; S. Lätt; G. Mengali; A. A. Quarta; H. Koivisto; O. Tarvainen; T. Kalvas; J. Kauppinen; A. Nuottajärvi; A. Obraztsov. Invited Article: Electric solar wind sail: Toward test missions. Finnish Meteorological Institute and collaborating institutions (2010).
Source date: 2010-11-17.
DOI: 10.1063/1.3514548
How we use it
This record belongs to Sails & environmental fields. Its evidence label describes the cited work, not the maturity of a Metric Flight device. Follow the original methods, corrections and conditions before transferring a result to a different geometry or scale.
Editorial note reviewed 19 October 2026. AI assisted research discovery and synthesis. Citation metadata and claims were checked against primary publication or institutional records; full-text access varies. Read the source for the complete method.