(Thought experiment, try not to laugh)
If we were to put a large blimp in earths orbit (lets say saucer shaped), could solar wind or what-ever pushes solar sails push the blimp to send it drifting away?
If the aft skin was transparent, and the inner layer of the front skin was reflective, what would happen to the gas inside? (would it accumulate heat like a green house or behave in some manner that could push or provide energy?)
Is the sunlight enough to heat the gas like a green house given the coldness of space all around the blimp?
If the gas inside the blimp could be heated by sunlight, could that heat energy be directed or used in a way that propels/orients the blimp in a specific direction?
Is there a gas that would be better than another, greenhouse gas, methane, neon gas, helium, etc to harness something, anything from the sunlight ?