It's a grand goal to say the least, but we'd potentially learn more about solar propulsion and defenses against asteroid collisions.
The Wave Glider SV3 incorporates the latest advancements in energy harvesting technology providing the ability to utilize both wave and solar energy for forward propulsion.
ENGADGET: Wave Glider sea robot gets a new version, replete with more power and gear
This includes a completely different propulsion system, larger solar panels, and also the orbital module (which is designed to function on its own, as a sort of space station, for six to eight months).
Hybrid Propulsion System: Wave-powered and solar energy storage with an auxiliary, vectored thruster for extra speed to address high currents, doldrums or to quickly accommodate changes in mission operations.
ENGADGET: Wave Glider sea robot gets a new version, replete with more power and gear
This is the part of the satellite that generates power through solar panels, and keeps the platform on-station using a propulsion system.
From news that Germany met half the country's energy needs with solar power to an Egyptian teenager who built a new quantum space propulsion system, 2012 was a big year for clean tech.
The research was conducted by Nicola Scafetta, a scientist at Duke University and at the Active Cavity Radiometer Solar Irradiance Monitor Lab (ACRIM), which is associated with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
FORBES: Global Warming? No, Natural, Predictable Climate Change
Kirk Flittie, who manages the Global Observer program for AeroVironment, says operating costs are low because the plane doesn't have to take off and land very often and it uses propulsion systems and electronics developed for the company's high-flying solar-powered planes.
Planetary scientists like Dr Robert Pappalardo at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have grown increasingly frustrated as proposals to explore the further reaches of the solar system have been sidelined in favour of Mars and the JWST.
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