Farewell, LightSail: Satellite Watchers Say Solar Sail Fades Away

One week after the Planetary Society's experimental LightSail spacecraft spread its solar sail, satellite watchers reported Sunday that it fell from orbit and broke apart in Earth's atmosphere. Based on its orbital trajectory, the shoebox-sized spacecraft should have disintegrated around 1:23 p.m. ET Sunday, Ted Molczan said in an analysis posted to the SatObs discussion forum. There were no immediate eyewitness reports of LightSail's demise, but neither were there any sightings of the craft after that time. Over the past few days, skywatchers have delighted to watch LightSail pass through the sky as a bright speck. One of those observers was Bill Nye the Science Guy, the Planetary Society's CEO. "It was just the faintest pinprick against the bright lights of the big city," Nye wrote in a blog posting. More

(Source: NBC News - Jun 15)