Posted on 06/28/2003 5:35:30 AM PDT by BenLurkin
The unmanned, solar-powered prototype Helios aircraft was destroyed Thursday when it crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii during a check flight in preparation for a nearly two-day endurance flight later this summer.
The remotely-piloted Helios, built by AeroVironment Inc. as part of NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology program at Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, was designed for high-altitude, long-duration flights. The craft was tested at Edwards and still is managed at Dryden.
The gangly, flying-wing aircraft, its 247-foot wingspan covered with more than 60,000 solar cells, took off from the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday morning.
It had been aloft for approximately 29 minutes, reaching 8,000 feet in altitude, when it came down within the confines of the facility, west of the island. The cause of the mishap is unknown.
Other than the $15 million, one-of-a-kind aircraft, there was no property damage or injuries resulting from the crash, NASA officials said.
An accident investigation team will be formed by NASA and supported by AeroVironment and the Navy to determine the cause of the mishap.
NASA officials are looking into recovering what debris they can from the crash site.
Thursday's 20-hour check flight was planned to verify the in-flight operation of the solar-electric aircraft's new regenerative fuel cell system.
During a June 7 check flight, Helios spent 15 hours aloft at altitudes of up to 52,000 feet while engineers tested modifications made since its last flight two years ago. However, the fuel cell system was not used during this flight due to leaks in the coolant system and compressed air lines.
NASA officials plan to continue the program and develop another Helios aircraft for continued research, using information gained from the accident investigation to make improvements.
As part of NASA's ERAST program, Helios was a proof-of-concept aircraft, intended to demonstrate sustained flight at an altitude of near 100,000 feet and flying non-stop for at least 24 hours.
The last time it was in Hawaii, Helios set a high-altitude record for non-rocket powered aircraft by climbing to more than 96,000 feet during a flight in August 2001.
Since that time, engineers have developed the regenerative fuel cell system to enable the solar-electric aircraft to store energy for long-endurance flights, the remaining milestone for the project.
The system uses power generated during daylight hours to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen gases. At night, the process is reversed, producing energy. This process is repeated throughout the duration of the flight.
The fuel cell system was successfully tested in April at National Technical Systems in Saugus.
The goal for flights this summer was to fly a long-endurance mission of 40 hours, with at least 14 hours above 50,000 feet altitude.
In 1999, Helios completed six low-altitude airworthiness test flights at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base.
Dryden is home to management of the ERAST program, which seeks to pioneer technologies which could enable development of a fleet of high-flying, uninhabited aircraft to conduct a variety of Earth and atmospheric science missions.
The Helios also could be used as a telecommunications relay platform.
"CHECK FLIGHT - NASA's prototype Helios electrically powered flying-wing aircraft began a check flight June 7 from the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The aircraft was destroyed Thursday when it crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii during a check flight in preparation for a nearly two-day endurance flight later this summer. "
It's a private club of wacko idealists using our money to build relatively worthless Rube Goldberg crap!
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