NASA Asks Amateurs to Submit NanoSail-D Pictures

摘要

NASA is asking amateur astronomers to submit their best images of the orbiting NanoSail-D spacecraft, which belatedly and unexpectedly unfurled its 9-square-meter solar sail Jan. 20. To encourage observations of NanoSail-D, NASA is partnering with Spaceweather.com to award a $500 grand prize for the best images. The contest, announced Jan. 26, is open to all types of images, including telescopic captures of the sail to simple wide-field camera shots of solar-sail flares. NASA said the solar sail will be observable for 70 to 120 days before it enters the atmosphere and disintegrates.