Has there ever been an experiment making a solar sail in space itself?

• Has there ever been an experiment making a solar sail in space itself? by dunwich on 28 Apr, 2023 19:49
• Basickly the main question: Has there ever been an experiment making a solar sail in space itself?
  Size doesn't really matter has there ever been a probe that tried to make a solar sail (not deploy it).
  Or similar on the ISS Exposed Facility?
  
  If not, are there any publicly available proposals?
  If not could you weight in on How feasable it would be the actualy make a solar sail in space as opposed to other in space construction projects.
  
  And as a follow up, ignoring space tourisme; ZBLAN or artificial organs what are some other interesting proposals to produce in space (not the moon).
  
  
  
• #1 by edkyle99 on 28 Apr, 2023 19:57
• Here's one. 
  https://www.planetary.org/sci-tech/lightsail
  
  Here's one that was launched this year.
  https://gizmodo.com/gama-alpha-solar-sail-unfurl-earth-orbit-1849953476
  
  Here's another that didn't fly, but probably should have.
  https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdm/solarsail/index.html
  
  I think there may have been other experiments.
• #2 by dunwich on 28 Apr, 2023 20:12
• Hey edkyle99
  
  Perhaps I expressed myself wrong.
  
  These (very intresting) missions launch (and unfurl) a solar sail.
  
  What I'm asking is, if ever there has been a mission that made the sail in space. Meaning the stuff that is actualy launched is something closer to a stock rod of aluminized Mylar then a sail. So not the actual sail but the materials to make a sail.
  Perhaps a device capable to thermally evaporated a thin films of aluminin (AKA a solar sail)
  
  Still thank you for your comment
• #3 by Vahe231991 on 29 Apr, 2023 03:15
• Quote from: dunwich on 28 Apr, 2023 20:12

  Hey edkyle99
  
  Perhaps I expressed myself wrong.
  
  These (very intresting) missions launch (and unfurl) a solar sail.
  
  What I'm asking is, if ever there has been a mission that made the sail in space. Meaning the stuff that is actualy launched is something closer to a stock rod of aluminized Mylar then a sail. So not the actual sail but the materials to make a sail.
  Perhaps a device capable to thermally evaporated a thin films of aluminin (AKA a solar sail)
  
  Still thank you for your comment
  

  There has never been a mission involving manufacturing a solar sail in space. While watching the National Geographic documentary Destination Space, I happened to see computer generated imagery of a NASA design study for a giant solar sail measuring half a mile wide, and it's unclear whether a gigantic solar sail would need to be assembled in space or on earth.
• #4 by dunwich on 29 Apr, 2023 08:27
• Quote

  There has never been a mission involving manufacturing a solar sail in space. While watching the National Geographic documentary Destination Space, I happened to see computer generated imagery of a NASA design study for a giant solar sail measuring half a mile wide, and it's unclear whether a gigantic solar sail would need to be assembled in space or on earth.

  I believe you mean this documentary:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCYTq8M1ylM (roughly 31 minutes in)
  
  I'm looking something a bid more modern then this:
  https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19720009888/downloads/19720009888.pdf
  (this experiment was done in 1972) I'm looking for more modern experiments