History: May 21 (#4)

History: May 21 (#4)
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
May 21, 2010 JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, launches the solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS aboard an H-IIA rocket. The vessel would make a Venus flyby late in the year.

Commentary

Commentary

On May 21, in the year 2010: JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Explor ation Agency, launches the solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS aboard an H-IIA rocket. The vessel would make a Venus flyby late in the year. Solar sails are a method of spacecraft propulsion using radiation pressure exerted by sunlight on large surfaces.

Commentary

Why May 21, 2010 matters: JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agen cy, launches the solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS aboard an H-IIA rocket. The vessel would make a Venus flyby late in the year. What began on this day left a lasting mark on history. The effects were felt immediately and continued to shape events, ideas, and lives long afterwards.

Commentary

Historical context: May 21, 2010 The 21st century has already seen profound shifts: the digital revolution has connected billions while reshaping politics and culture; climate change has emerged as a defining crisis; and new powers have risen to challenge the world order that followed the Cold War. The event on this day: JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, launches the solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS aboard an H-IIA rocket. The vessel would make a Venus flyby late in the year. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_sail (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)