| davidmash | 
			11-19-2022 06:11 PM | 
		 
		 
		 
		
			LightSail 2 spacecraft ends its solar-sailing mission in a blaze of glory   
		
		
		I had read stuff like this and seen it on Star Wars but di not realize it was a reality.  Pretty cool. 
	Quote: 
	
	
		
			 
			
				The Planetary Society's crowdfunded solar sailing craft re-entered Earth's atmosphere on Thursday morning (Nov.17) after nearly 3.5 years in orbit — more than three times longer than its designed mission life. 
 
The LightSail 2 team has received no communications from the spacecraft since that date, leading them to conclude that the shoebox-sized craft had finally given up the ghost after completing 18,000 orbits and traveling about 5 million miles (8 million kilometers) around our planet.
			
			 
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