I was a little disappointed to read this a low orbit launch where atmospheric drag is higher than any possible propulsion gain from the sail. Apparently this guy piggy backed on a launch of the X37b which in itself is cool they would allow it do so.
Quick (newbie) question - the coordinates given (XYZ) - are these oriented around the plane of travel, or some other scheme? i.e. the satellite is moving forward on the Y axis, right?
True! Modern gravity gradiometers/differential accelerometers probably are sensitive enough for coarse orientation, particularly if they were deployed at the perimeter of the sail.
To do so would, of course, obliterate LightSail's budget :)
Source: worked on R&D for the LISA inertial reference system.
They are well along, this is a test flight for some of the systems I believe. The Kickstarer is for the rest of the funding for the main vehicle. It's not 100%, but a substantial chunk.
If I recall correctly from Bill Nye's AMA, this is just a technology test. They're launching the real mission next year. I'll see if I can dig up the link for you.
