[Normal4me]

<img src="http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Images/helios_6_03_sm.jpg"/

[Larry Lucido]

The cause of the crash is unknown, Brown said. NASA is forming an accident investigation team.

Initial reports suggest the tail snapped off when the rudder was turned too hard.

[NormsRevenge]

[Luke Skyfreeper]

The cause of the crash is unknown, Brown said. NASA is forming an accident investigation team.

Flew too damn close to the sun.

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

A ping for when you return.

[DoughtyOne]

An unmanned plane that set an altitude record two years ago broke apart during a test flight Thursday and crashed into the Pacific Ocean, NASA (news - web sites) officials said.

The remotely piloted, one-of-a-kind ($15 million, solar-electric, propeller-driven Helios had a wingspan of 247 feet and looked more like a flying wing than a conventional plane) Helios Prototype crashed off Kauai within the testing area of the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said in a news release.

one of a kind...
$15 million dollar prototype...

flown over the Pacific Ocean rather than the mainland...

NASA's management policies shine yet again.

[RightWhale]

The cause of the crash is unknown

Advanced composite materials is still an art.

[Rockpile]

Well, it's perfectly obvious what happened-----

the center wing fuel tank must have exploded.