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Astronomy Picture of the Day -- A Flight of Helios
NASA ^ | July 24, 2011 | (see photo credit)

Posted on 07/24/2011 3:39:12 AM PDT by SunkenCiv

Explanation: An example of solar-powered flight, NASA's Helios aircraft flew almost one hundred years after the Wright brothers' historic flight on December 17, 1903. Pictured here at 3,000 meters in in skies northwest of Kauai, Hawaii, USA in August 2001, the remotely piloted Helios is traveling at about 40 kilometers per hour. Essentially an ultralight flying wing with 14 electric motors, the aircraft was built by AeroVironment Inc. Covered with solar cells, Helios' impressive 247 foot wide wing exceeded the wing span and even overall length of a Boeing 747 jet airliner. Climbing during daylight hours, the prototype aircraft ultimately reached an altitude just short of 30,000 meters, breaking records for non-rocket powered flight. Helios was intended as a technology demonstrator, but in the extremely thin air 30,000 meters above Earth's surface, the flight of Helios also approached conditions for winged flight in the atmosphere of Mars.

July 24, 2011

(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; astronomy; helios; science
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[Credit: Carla Thomas, courtesy DFRC, NASA]

1 posted on 07/24/2011 3:39:19 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
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To: brytlea; cripplecreek; decimon; bigheadfred; KoRn; Grammy; married21; steelyourfaith; Mmogamer; ...

2 posted on 07/24/2011 3:40:17 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Yes, as a matter of fact, it is that time again -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: SunkenCiv

Can they hang JDAMs or Hellfires on those hard points under the wings?


3 posted on 07/24/2011 3:43:02 AM PDT by CholeraJoe (Don't Panic and always bring a towel.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Ok - what happens when the sun goes down? These puppies drop and roll right? They cannot stay up indefinitely, right?


4 posted on 07/24/2011 4:24:52 AM PDT by corkoman (Steadfast and Loyal)
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To: corkoman
Ok - what happens when the sun goes down? These puppies drop and roll right? They cannot stay up indefinitely, right?

From NASA:
"On 26 Jun 2003 the aircraft was making the second in a series of shakedown flights leading toward a planned 40-hour long-endurance mission, when the aircraft broke apart in flight. The lightweight, highly flexible flying wing took off at 10:06 a.m. local time. About 16 minutes into the flight the aircraft encountered atmospheric turbulence causing abnormally high wing dihedral (upward bowing of both wingtips). Unobserved mild pitch oscillations began, but quickly diminished.

Thirty minutes into the flight the aircraft again encountered normal turbulence and then experienced an unexpected, persistent high wing dihedral configuration. As a result, the aircraft became unstable as pitch oscillations grew. Airspeed deviated from the normal flight speed, and the deviations grew with every cycle of the oscillation, soon exceeding the aircraft’s design speed. The resulting high dynamic pressures caused the wing’s outer wing panels to fail and the solar cells and skin on the upper surface to rip off."

Forget indefinitely. The thing can't even stay in the air for 45 minutes.
5 posted on 07/24/2011 5:24:10 AM PDT by Renderofveils (My loathings are simple: stupidity, oppression, crime, cruelty, soft music. - Nabokov)
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To: Renderofveils

My tax dollars well spent...not.


6 posted on 07/24/2011 6:29:41 AM PDT by JimmyMc
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To: Renderofveils
Forget indefinitely. The thing can't even stay in the air for 45 minutes.

That's what I was thinking when first looking at the image. That thing couldn't survive even light afternoon turbulence. It's an expensive toy!

7 posted on 07/24/2011 6:32:32 AM PDT by CharlyFord (t)
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To: Renderofveils
Forget indefinitely. The thing can't even stay in the air for 45 minutes.

It flew up to 97,500' altitude in 45 minutes?

8 posted on 07/24/2011 7:28:12 AM PDT by Mike Darancette (Pelosi: Obamacare indulgences for sale.)
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To: corkoman

Silly, someone crawls out on each wing and shines a solar-powered flashlight on the cells.


9 posted on 07/24/2011 7:55:36 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Yes, as a matter of fact, it is that time again -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: CholeraJoe

Solar powered UAVs are probably in testing right now.


10 posted on 07/24/2011 7:56:31 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Yes, as a matter of fact, it is that time again -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Mike Darancette
It flew up to 97,500' altitude in 45 minutes?

That record was from the August 13 2001 flight, where it spent about 40 minutes at or above 96,000 feet. That being said, the conditions were ideal at the time for the flight. The 2003 flight had weather conditions that were questionable (moderate winds) but within the envelope of conditions acceptable for a flight. Result:

Photobucket
11 posted on 07/24/2011 8:17:51 AM PDT by Renderofveils (My loathings are simple: stupidity, oppression, crime, cruelty, soft music. - Nabokov)
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To: SunkenCiv

Terribly cool!


12 posted on 07/24/2011 8:20:12 AM PDT by brytlea (Someone the other day said I'm not a nice person. How did they know?)
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To: SunkenCiv

Unless they have a way to get that thing to Mars it’s a waste of time and money. Take us back to the Moon, NASA.

And I like these kinds of things. I remember reading there was supposed to be a fleet of these things that would act as a low level satellite staying up for months at a time.


13 posted on 07/24/2011 9:26:51 AM PDT by hattend (Its a matter of public record that I did not go to Harvard Law School, but I can add. - Sarah Palin)
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To: SunkenCiv

Solar power is better achieved from our renewable resources, oil, gas, and coal.

All power on earth comes from the sun. It is stored in places that are handy, highly efficient, and proven: oil, gas, coal, and all their iterations. They are the best solar power providers.


14 posted on 07/24/2011 10:36:08 AM PDT by TheOldLady (FReepmail me to get ON or OFF the ZOT LIGHTNING ping list.)
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To: hattend

The problem with space exploration is, there’s no economic reason to do it that would offset the huge costs of R&D, ground support, vehicle, fuel, and reentry/recovery. Soooo, it will be robots for a long while yet. And as those get better, asteroid prospecting and processing will probably be robotic as well. We’re not built for microgravity, cosmic rays, solar flares — but we have a depth of experience building machines that can put up with those.


15 posted on 07/24/2011 4:18:20 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Yes, as a matter of fact, it is that time again -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: TheOldLady; brytlea

Yep.


16 posted on 07/24/2011 4:20:43 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Yes, as a matter of fact, it is that time again -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: SunkenCiv
What happens when people are exposed to cosmic rays . . .


17 posted on 07/25/2011 1:35:54 PM PDT by colorado tanker
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To: colorado tanker; SunkenCiv; TheOldLady; brytlea
What happens when people are exposed to cosmic rays . . .

Nah...I better not...teehee

18 posted on 07/25/2011 6:04:24 PM PDT by bigheadfred (Beat me, Bite me, Make Me write Bad Checks)
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To: colorado tanker

That’ll teach ‘em to hang out with a d*mned scientist! ;’)


19 posted on 07/25/2011 6:56:27 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Yes, as a matter of fact, it is that time again -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: bigheadfred

We’re onto ya anyway. ;’)


20 posted on 07/25/2011 6:57:45 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Yes, as a matter of fact, it is that time again -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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