Question: It has been suggested that spacecraft could be propelled by the radiation pressure from the sun. What must be the surface mass density (kg/m2) of

It has been suggested that spacecraft could be propelled by the radiation pressure from the sun. What must be the surface mass density (kg/m2) of a perfectly reflecting sheet so that at a distance of one astronomical unit the force due to radiation pressure is twice that due to the gravitational attraction between the reflecting sheet and the sun? How will the ratio of radiation force to gravitational force change as the reflecting sheet accelerates away from the sun?


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