A Swiss team believes that they may be ready to fly a solar powered plane around the world by 2012:
Dr Piccard, who made history in 1999 by circling the globe non-stop in a balloon, says he wants to demonstrate the potential of renewable energies…
The flight would be a risky endeavour. Only now is solar and battery technology becoming mature enough to sustain flight through the night – and then only in unmanned planes.
Don’t expect him to make it in one hop, though – the plane will only make good 25 knots over the ground, meaning a circumnavigation could take as long as 25 days.
A cool idea, with very little in the way of practical application – at least for the now.
Wouldn’t it be more practical to use Lighter Than Air for that kind of journey?
The blimp could be covered with solar panel type skin as part of the structure.
Dr Piccard’s already done that, it turns out. He’s pressing the boundaries.
Here’s a possible use. Not for the plane, but for the technology.
Long Duration, High Altitude UAV.
What the H do you damn bubble-heads know anything about high altitudes?
Enough to know you can’t see us from up there….
besides, I’m just trying to support the Joint warfight here!!
It would be useful for that…and DARPA is already at work. Limited payload capacity, though – you’re basically talking a comm relay package.
And I’m not sure 25 kts will do. I’ve seen winds aloft above 50 kts occasionally af FL600.
What kind of platform took you to 60K? I’m thinking SR-71?
RQ-4A.
Well, there’s a great deal of interest in having long time of flight a/c specifically for comms relay. Think of it as a really low orbit satellite.
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For reference, U-2’s also ply their trade above FL600 and they’re still with us (for a bit longer).
- SJS
Yup. In theory, the RQ-4 should replace the U-2. I’m betting that it won’t. The systems are more complementary than people think.
Piccard? As in the US Navy bathyscaph TRIESTE? Go to the bottom of Challenger Deep Piccard? Does the man know no limits?
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I love the idea. I would also think that the military will have their eye on this one; a fuel-free reconnaisance drone would be a winner with the air force, especially if they can get it to go through the night on stored energy.
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