A solar sail technology application mission for analyzing the Earth's geomagnetic tail

The concept of solar sailing had been the stuff of science fiction novels until the late 1970's when NASA considered using the technology in its Comet Halley rendezvous mission. Since then solar sailing has been gaining popularity as an alternative propulsion for rather unique mission proposals where the more conventional chemical propulsions are not viable. Investigations into the various aspects of the technology demonstrate that solar sailing could prove to be the answer for certain missions where chemical and even ion propulsion is limited.; The focus of this thesis is on the potential application of solar sailing as a means of propulsion and control for a satellite in a restricted three-body system. Given Canada's interest in the interaction of the solar wind with the Earth's magnetic field, a great deal could be learned by having a scientific payload "parked" permanently in the geomagnetic tail. This mission would only be possible if the spacecraft was able to generate thrust on a continuous basis which is considered one of the prime advantages of solar sailing. This thesis will cover the broad aspects of solar sail technology and then focus on solar sailing in a restricted three-body system. Finally, the spacecraft design will be covered at a conceptual level outlining the sail configuration and materials, the spacecraft mass budget, a potential launch vehicle and some navigation strategies once the spacecraft is in position.