Sunday, July 24, 2011

This is NASA's Helios experimental flying wing, powered only by solar panels.  Propelled by 14 electric motors, its 247 foot wingspan is larger than that of a Boeing 747.  Powered only by the sun, Helios eventually reached the height of 30,000 feet, which is a new record for non rocket powered flight.   In fact, at that altitude, it approaches the conditions for winged flight in the rarified atmosphere of Mars.  Hmmm, could something, perhaps, be in the works over there at NASA?

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