Final preparations are in progress in Hawaii for a flight of the NASA-sponsored Helios Prototype solar-electric flying wing this weekend that could set a new world’s altitude record for a non-rocket-powered aircraft. The flight from the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile
Final preparations are in progress in Hawaii for a flight of the NASA-sponsored Helios Prototype solar-electric flying wing this weekend that could set a new world’s altitude record for a non-rocket-powered aircraft.
The flight from the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on the island of Kauai is tentatively targeted for Saturday, Aug. 11, with backup flight days scheduled for Aug. 12 and 13, and Aug. 16 through 19.
The Helios Prototype is believed capable of reaching altitudes in the vicinity of 100,000 feet under ideal conditions. Engineers believe that the aircraft could reach 92,000 to 95,000 feet or higher on this mission, well above the current record of 85,068 feet for sustained horizontal flight set by an SR-71 in 1966.
Designed and built by AeroVironment, Inc., of Monrovia, California, the ultra-lightweight Helios Prototype’s development is being funded and managed under NASA’s Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology project. The demonstration flight is being performed to validate the Helios’ capability as a platform for high-altitude earth monitoring and atmospheric sampling missions.
Still photographs in high resolution will be available on the www.solaraircraft.com website approximately four hours after takeoff, and on the Dryden website at www.dfrc.nasa.gov two days after the flight.
