Justin Good
Apprentice
Edit
| Embed Video: |  |
|
Imagine a plane that will fly just like a bird: “no turbines or propellers, no flaps or rudders interrupting the smooth surface of the plane’s flattened body as it emits barely a whisper as it sweeps past.” Funded by NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts, the plane (as envisioned by a group of researchers working on the project) would be unmanned, solar-powered, and made of strong, lightweight materials. Its size could range from a few meters across to perhaps a hundred meters, depending on its mission.” Why fly like a bird? One reason is energy efficiency. Because of the flapping wings, the aircraft would be able to glide for long periods of time and collect solar power and flapping to maintain altitude. Another reason is that this design, which has long been of interest, has morphing capabilities. Morphing wing technology would allow “military jets to outmaneuver their adversaries.” When can we expect this to become reality? So far this concept is only “in the minds of a small research team”, however, with NASA’s help we could see “this become a reality within a decade or two.”  How will this techonlogy be used? The aircraft's ability to remain aloft for long periods of time would make it ideal for imaging the Earth's surface from on high, of clear interest for both civilian and military purposes. Although not designed to carry heavy payloads, the plane could easily wield the latest generation of miniaturized cameras developed for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and micro-UAVs. Perhaps most intriguing is the idea of using the aircraft to explore other planets. Take Venus. Its surface is hot and inhospitable, but at altitudes above 50 km it's actually very Earth-like, with pressure levels similar to ours, temperatures of less than 50° C, and an atmosphere containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and other basic compounds needed for life. Given all that, plus the planet's abundant solar energy, it's one of the more likely places in our solar system to find life.
(spectrum.ieee.org)References: spectrum.ieee.org Filed In: |
