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Industry: Email Alert RSS FeedHigh-flying wing destroyed in crash - Technology - Brief Article
Science News, August 23, 2003
The unmanned NASA aircraft that holds the world record for high-altitude flight without rocket propulsion recently broke up over the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. The solar-powered flyer, known as Helios, was of a remarkable design intended to achieve slow, long-duration flights at extreme heights. A single, 75-meter-long wing, the craft was equipped with landing gear and electrically driven propellers.
During a low-altitude flight on June 26, Helios began to pitch back and forth, and then it fell apart, NASA reports. The remote control aircraft apparently had accelerated to a faster speed than it was intended to handle, says Robert F. Curtin of AeroVironment of Monrovia, Calif., the company that designed and built Helios.
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For years, NASA has been developing Helios and a sister aircraft known as Pathfinder (SN: 8/2/97, p. 75) as substitutes for satellites that relay telecommunications signals and survey Earth. A subsidiary of AeroVironment plans to commercialize such aircraft as conduits for Internet traffic, high-definition-television broadcasts, and cell phone signals.
Sticking to those goals, both NASA and AeroVironment say they intend to learn from the mishap and push forward. A new Helios-like vehicle will cost about $15 million, Curtin says.--P.W.
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