Spring Break
It's a BIRD; It's a PLANE
By: Kyle Ross
Issue date: 3/3/04 Section: Sci/Tech
"The reason the plane was built that way was to give the greatest performance margin and require the least amount of energy to fly," Brown said. "Now that we have successfully flown the plane with the laser, we can build a more capable plane to fly outside at greater distances and for longer periods."
If successful, this technology could lead to a revolution in the telecommunications industry and become an asset to the military.
Theoretically, flight-sustaining aircraft could be flown over cities,
effectively replacing the use of space-orbiting satellites. Cell phone signals, as well as television and Internet connections, could be fed directly from transponders attached to the plane. The laser-powered aircraft would also excel as spy or communication planes for military purposes. Brown said he even envisions the use of laser-powered aircrafts on Mars.
"An orbiting satellite with sufficient power could beam energy to an airplane flying in Mars' atmosphere on every orbit to top off its energy storage system and thereby have the airplane fly for days or longer," Brown said. "Even robots on the surface could get power from the orbiting spacecraft and do more than would be possible with solar panels only."
But the development of this technology is still very young. And while it has raised eyebrows around the country, some say they will believe it when they see it.
"This technology might work on a real plane as an alternative power source, similar to ideas developed for the hybrid cars," said Dimitris Lagoudas, a professor of aerospace engineering and director of the Center of Mechanics and Composites. "But one of the biggest challenges I believe is the transmission of laser power with enough accuracy to always find the receiving photovoltaic panel."
Kyle T. Alfriend, a professor of aerospace engineering and holder of the Wisenbaker II Chair in Engineering, shares Lagoudas' concerns.
"The pointing accuracy (of the laser) would have to be phenomenal.
Generally, the way we acquire a target with a laser is with the reflection. The round trip time of a signal would make it virtually impossible to
acquire the target. By the time you get the return signal, the plane would have moved a few kilometers."
Despite the challenges that lay ahead, NASA is confident in its accomplishment.
"The challenges of this project were really of integration - how to put it all together and make it work safely," Brown said. "I will say that I believe all the technology is there, it just needs to be put together in a successful way."
If successful, this technology could lead to a revolution in the telecommunications industry and become an asset to the military.
Theoretically, flight-sustaining aircraft could be flown over cities,
effectively replacing the use of space-orbiting satellites. Cell phone signals, as well as television and Internet connections, could be fed directly from transponders attached to the plane. The laser-powered aircraft would also excel as spy or communication planes for military purposes. Brown said he even envisions the use of laser-powered aircrafts on Mars.
"An orbiting satellite with sufficient power could beam energy to an airplane flying in Mars' atmosphere on every orbit to top off its energy storage system and thereby have the airplane fly for days or longer," Brown said. "Even robots on the surface could get power from the orbiting spacecraft and do more than would be possible with solar panels only."
But the development of this technology is still very young. And while it has raised eyebrows around the country, some say they will believe it when they see it.
"This technology might work on a real plane as an alternative power source, similar to ideas developed for the hybrid cars," said Dimitris Lagoudas, a professor of aerospace engineering and director of the Center of Mechanics and Composites. "But one of the biggest challenges I believe is the transmission of laser power with enough accuracy to always find the receiving photovoltaic panel."
Kyle T. Alfriend, a professor of aerospace engineering and holder of the Wisenbaker II Chair in Engineering, shares Lagoudas' concerns.
"The pointing accuracy (of the laser) would have to be phenomenal.
Generally, the way we acquire a target with a laser is with the reflection. The round trip time of a signal would make it virtually impossible to
acquire the target. By the time you get the return signal, the plane would have moved a few kilometers."
Despite the challenges that lay ahead, NASA is confident in its accomplishment.
"The challenges of this project were really of integration - how to put it all together and make it work safely," Brown said. "I will say that I believe all the technology is there, it just needs to be put together in a successful way."
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