A booster rocket failure 83 seconds into the launch has prevented the solar sail mission from reaching orbit.
“It’s not safe out here. It’s wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it’s not for the timid,” said Star Trek character Q, speaking about space travel on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Cosmos 1 was a bold attempt at developing another facet of space travel, that of the solar sail. Potentially, a solar sail craft can harness the photons pushed out by the sun and move at great speeds through our solar system.
Cosmos 1 was intended to reach an orbit of 500 miles, where after several days in orbit it would deploy eight Mylar sails. Scientists on the ground would attempt to maneuver the craft by tacking the sails, similar to piloting a sailboat on a body of water.
But space is no safe harbor. After the failure of the booster rocket, the converted ICBM carrying the Cosmos 1 craft likely crashed into the ocean. Though there have been some reports of Russian tracking stations receiving signals they expected to hear from the craft, it is likely those come from other sources.
The US Strategic Command will analyze its “unknown objects bucket” to try and help determine where Cosmos 1 may be now. Likewise, Russian naval efforts are underway to find the debris and what might remain of the craft.
“We arrogantly compared ourselves to the Wright Brothers, partly because we were operating out of modest surroundings. But the Wright Brothers had failed at five missions before they succeeded,” Ann Druyan, widow of astronomer Carl Sagan, said. “This may be the down part of the story rather than the triumph we had hoped for, but this is not the end of the story.”
Ms. Druyan’s Cosmos Studios provided much of the $4 million in funding for the project. A possible Cosmos 2 mission has not been discussed yet.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
