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Solar Powered Helios Plane Destroyed in Test Flight
deglr6328 writes "NASA's solar powered Helios airplane has crashed into the Pacific off the coast of Kauai today during its first test using a regenerative fuel cell power supply. Helios held the record for highest prop propelled plane altitude at 96,863 (set 2 years ago) and was making preparations for a 96 hour continuous flight using its 62,000 solar cells during the day while electrolyzing water into hydrogen and oxygen for use in its fuel cells at night. With the capability to carry 200 lb. to near 100,000 ft. for months on end, Helios was eyed with great anticipation by scientists and RF telecommunications buisnesses alike."
Thus continuing a great tradition of first flights.
If it does not crash and burn it was not a good test.
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...Icarus.
I wonder if they thought they were at 8k meters and tried dropping the altitude, and ran smack into the ocean.. NASA's good at confusing ft and meters
You gotta admit that the timing is awfully disturbing...
Yet another example of the dangers of solar power.
If God intended for us to use solar airplanes He would never have given us Jet A.
Eve Fairbanks says I drive a hybrid!LOL
Maybe it got a little hot with all that sun on it and wanted to cool off.
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I suspect a piece of foam.
Man, do I feel bad for that NASA investigation team. Having to spend a large amount of time on the beautiful, garden island of Kaua'i, with its sunny south shore, and lush, tropic north short (with some incredible surfing), not to mention Mt Wai'ale'ale, where it rains 360 days a year and has vegetation that grows no-where else, and the breath-taking Napali cliffs...
I don't envy them.
Wait, yes I do!
In the future, I would want to not be isolated from my friends in the Space Station.
Helios? Sounds more like Daedalus to me.
Am I the only one who heard Roxette to sing "I'm gonna get blitzed for some sex"?
(This just proves that i read the article before posting ;-)
In that case, we are going to have to revoke your Slashdot account.
The remotely piloted, one-of-a-kind Helios Prototype crashed off Kauai within the testing area of the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility
Maybe flying it in a missile test range wasn't such a good idea...
Life is short: void the warranty.
The National Simian Safety Board has permanently suspended travel to the big flat thing under the trees after two terranauts were killed by a lion. A local citizens group protested the allocation of bananas to ground exploration, saying that the bananas would be better spent on grooming and bug removal.
Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
Reading this first as "SCO Powered Hell Plan Destroyed in Test Fight"?
mm must be me..
Apparently, in your hurry to post this profundity, you missed the article.
"We were flying at about the 8,000-foot altitude west of Kauai over the ocean and the aircraft simply broke up," said Alan Brown, a spokesman for NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif.
It is very flimsy.
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... ;p
By any chance are you helping to develup Duke Nukem Forever?
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I wonder if they thought they were at 8k meters and tried dropping the altitude, and ran smack into the ocean.. NASA's good at confusing ft and meters
Do you realize that 0m = 0ft = sea leval?
"I'll have a Guinness, no wait, make that a Coors Light" -Grad student I work with, who shall remain anonymous...
Yeah they should find a way of only build the even ones.
FRA: STFU GTFO
Somewhere, the sound of a rocket scientist yelling, "OMG! LAG!!!"
We must declare war on adventurist protectionism.
Mars delenda est!
Nah, it was never a good idea to leave the big wet thing.
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"Gravity is only a theory, not a fact!"