Lost in space

Bummer for Cosmos 1, the first attempt at working a spacecraft propelled by solar sails. CNN reports the Russian ballistic missile it was launched with malfunctioned and, while it appears to have gotten Cosmos 1 into space, it didn't put it where it was supposed to be.

Hopefully the mission can be saved and useful data collected. Solar sails seem to be our best bet at being able to explore the outer planets in a reasonable time frame, and that's an important first step in making life better on this planet.