(Found) Solar sail space ship is a monastery and lightbulb factory (twitter req)

tachyon

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Sep 10, 2018
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Here's a challenge for you, I saw this on twitter


"Twitter scifi mind, once again my google-fu fails me. Help!

Trying to identify a scifi novel

At one point the protagonist is on a solar sail spaceship. The ship is a space-going monastery. They make money by constructing light-bulbs, filling them with the holy vacuum of space."


Maybe we can help Winchell out.

In a later reply he adds:

"This was a novel I read back in the 1970's. The protagonist was only there for a chapter or so. He was on the run, and was hiding out in the monk ship"
 
No mention of how it ships the light bulbs back ? Or are they planning to market them when the get to Alpha Centauri?
I don't think 'tacking' works with a solar sail :(
 
Well the twitterverse is vast and someone has already posted the answer on the twitter thread. I expected it to take a lot longer!

Wrapping it in spoiler tags since I posed this as a challenge:
"Destiny's Orbit" by David Grinnel
 
Well the twitterverse is vast and someone has already posted the answer on the twitter thread. I expected it to take a lot longer!

Wrapping it in spoiler tags since I posed this as a challenge:
"Destiny's Orbit" by David Grinnel
Has it been confirmed that the answer on twitter is correct?
I remember (fair enough a long time ago) reading that book, but IIRC the plot doesn't tie in with the description in your original question
 
Confirmed, yes. He did say the monk ship was only a brief stopover for the protagonist.
 

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