| NASA Center: |
Dryden Flight Research Center |
|---|
| Image # : |
EC99-45210-1 |
|---|
| Date : |
11/01/1999
|
|---|
|
Title
Helios Prototype on Lakebed
Full Description
The Helios Prototype is an enlarged version of the Centurion flying
wing, which flew a series of test flights at Dryden in late 1998. The
craft has a wingspan of 247 feet, 41 feet greater than the Centurion, 2
1/2 times that of its solar-powered Pathfinder flying wing and longer
than either the Boeing 747 jetliner or Lockheed C-5 transport aircraft.
It is one of several remotely-piloted aircraft-also known as
uninhabited aerial vehicles or UAV's-being developed as technology
demonstrators by several small airframe manufacturers under NASA's
Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) project.
Developed by AeroVironment, Inc., of Monrovia, Calif., the unique craft
is intended to demonstrate two key missions: the ability to reach and
sustain horizontal flight at 100,000 feet altitude on a single-day
flight, and to maintain flight above 50,000 feet altitude for at least
four days, both on electrical power derived from non-polluting solar
energy.
During later flights, AeroVironment's flight test team will evaluate
new motor-control software which may allow the pitch of the aircraft
(the nose-up or nose-down attitude in relation to the horizon) to be
controlled entirely by the motors. If successful, production versions
of the Helios could eliminate the elevators on the wing's trailing edge
now used for pitch control, saving weight and increasing the area of
the wing available for installation of solar cells.
Keywords
Helios Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology ERAST Solar Centurion Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle UAV Dryden
Subject Category
Unique Aircraft,
Reference Numbers
- Center:
DFRC
- Center Number:
EC99-45210-1
- GRIN DataBase Number:
GPN-2000-000198
Source Information
- Creator/Photographer: NASA Tom Tschida
- Original Source: DIGITAL
| Resolution | Format | Width
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(Pixels) | Size
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90 |
69 |
11 |
Small |
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640 |
488 |
255 |
Medium |
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1500 |
1144 |
1,737 |
Large |
.jpg |
3000 |
2287 |
7,365 |
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