By 
June 1st, 2015
Credit: The Planetary Society
The Planetary Society looks ready to shed a little light on the situation – a Wednesday, June 3rd deployment of LightSail’s reflective sails.
Launched on May 20, LightSail will not be eye-catching visible until the sails are deployed and the best times to see the spacecraft are dusk and dawn.
While LightSail is almost ready for its moment in the Sun, “the bad news is that with the sail deployed, the rate of decay will be enormous, and difficult to predict with precision,” notes satellite watcher, Ted Molczan of Toronto, Canada.
But this afternoon, LightSail sent home pieces of two test images taken by one of the spacecraft’s onboard cameras, explains Jason Davis of The Planetary Society. “More of the images will be assembled with each successive ground station pass,” Davis said.
“There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission.” – The Outer Limits
Jason Davis of The Planetary Society: “The coolest jumbled JPG from a spacecraft you’ll see all day.”
Credit: The Planetary Society
Magnitude of the situation
Meanwhile, the good news, according to sky watcher Molczan, is that his preliminary estimate — with the sail deployed — the standard visual magnitude of LightSail will be in the magnitude 2 to 3 on high-elevation, well illuminated passes.
To keep an eye on LightSail’s condition and whereabouts over Earth, go to:
Posted in Space News
