Cosmos sails

[snyders]

On June 21st, Cosmos 1 - the world's first solar sail spacecraft - is set to launch atop a converted ICBM from a submerged Russian submarine in the Barents Sea. Cosmos 1 will be the first spacecraft to sail under sunlight pressure..... In 100 days a sail could reach 10,000 miles per hour; in one year could reach 36,000 miles per hour. In just three years, a solar sail could reach a speed of over 100,000 miles per hour. At that speed you could reach Pluto in less than five years. In comparison, the New Horizons mission to Pluto, using chemical propulsion and a gravity-assist from Jupiter, is planned to take nine years to reach its target.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/?read=1928781