treehugger.com — Called the Zephyr, it's an aircraft that can fly continuously using nothing but solar power and "low drag aerodynamics". The combination of solar panels on the upper wing surface and rechargeable batteries allows Zephyr to be flown for for many weeks and even months.
Mar 24, 2006 View in Crawl 4
Closed AccountMar 24, 2006
Well, when you put it like that, it does sound a bit scary.
charlescheeseMar 24, 2006
NASA already did this, but it's still cool. And yes it did crash, but only after several successful flights and breaking two records. The plane was a success despite the crash. I'm certain these people built off of Nasa's work.
diggerthedogMar 24, 2006
I'd like to see an airborne data/communications network. Yes, we could use it to spy on the bad guys. People such as drug dealers/runners, illegal aliens and general criminal surveillance. Not to mention other undesirables in our society such as people who drive slow in the left lane.I find it ironic that surveillance of the "bad guys" could also include eco terrorists who may well be regular visitors to treehuggers.com, the site that hosted the solar article.
tmcleroyMar 24, 2006
until an eclipse comes.
millmasterMar 24, 2006
I saw this on SPACE channel last year, the NASA video showed a craft similar to the size of a seagull and in theory would be used in tandem, one flying below the clouds one above the clouds and send info back to a satellite in space. The optimal use was for exploring other planets like MARS etc. The bird itself was to flap its wings and fly similar to a bird, thanks to a new composite designed for artificial limbs i believe. But u still have to have a way to launch them to a respectable altitude.
millmasterMar 24, 2006
And the animation I saw was not the Helios Project, it was truly desinged after a bird flapping its wings.
jguerryMar 25, 2006
hah that was what i was thinking...i assume that all of their products are somewhat heat powered so they thought hey, a Q can be pronounced like a K, so let's throw in the symbol for Heat (energy) and call it qinetiq!
recursiveMar 26, 2006
This article is old by now, but in case you come back and read it, the plane is said to be flying continuously 'for weeks'. Obviously, after that period is over, it is no longer presumed to be flying continuously. During the period, there is not interuption. I think you can figure this out.In addition to the link, I also provided the dictionary definition, which supports my interpretation.