![]() ![]() Using this system, the aircraft would be capable of 7 to 14 days of continuous flight. With time running out on the program, NASA and its partner decided to switch from the RFCS to a primary fuel-cell system (PFCS) based on commercially available components. A prototype was built, but it proved unreliable. NASA and AeroVironment started work on a regenerative fuel-cell system (RFCS) that would enable the aircraft to use hydrogen and oxygen captured during flight to power the vehicle after the sun went down. Unlike the previous vehicles in the program, the aircraft for this segment would require a power source in addition to solar arrays so that it could fly at night as well as during the day. ![]() ![]() The next step was to achieve ERAST’s endurance goal. On 13 August 2001, the investment paid off: HP01 flew out of PMRF to reach the program goal of 96,863 feet above sea level, setting a world record for a non-rocket powered aircraft. During climb out from the PMRF, the aircraft’s flexible wing dihedral (upsweep) is evident.įollowing a series of low-altitude flights at DFRC in 1999, HP01 was fitted with new avionics and other upgrades, including a new solar array consisting of 62,000 cells. On August 13, 2001, the solar-powered, remotely piloted Helios Prototype 01 set a world record for reaching an altitude of more than 96,000 feet. Like Centurion, HP01 relied on 14 electric motors powered by the sun. It was encased in a thin, transparent plastic skin. The aircraft was composed primarily of composite materials, including carbon fiber, graphite epoxy, Kevlar ®, and Styrofoam. Each panel joint held an underwing pod that contained landing gear, battery power system, flight control computers, and data-capturing instruments. Measuring 247 feet across six separate panels, the wingspan of HP01 exceeded that of a Boeing 747 jet. Based on the same airframe, a second prototype, HP03, would pursue the long-distance goal of continuous flight at 50,000 feet for nearly 100 hours. The first model, Helios Prototype 01 (HP01), would focus on high-altitude flight with the goal of reaching 96,000 feet. Based on its success at low altitudes, the program moved forward with the next generation: Helios.Įmerging budget constraints dictated a dual development goal for Helios. Fourteen electric motors powered it through three test flights out of DFRC. With a five-panel, 206-foot wingspan, Centurion was larger than its predecessors. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on Kauai, Hawaii, Pathfinder Plus set a new altitude record for solar-powered flight at 80,200 feet in August 1998.Ĭenturion, the next in line, was focused on breaking the 100,000-foot altitude barrier. Pathfinder gave way to the Pathfinder Plus, which added 20 feet to the wingspan and two more electric motors, bringing the total to eight. The first was the Pathfinder: a 100-foot flying wing with solar cells on the entire upper surface that set an unofficial altitude record for a solar-powered vehicle in 1995 and again in 1997. on a series of solar-powered UAV prototypes. Over the course of the program, which began in 1994 and was managed by Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC now Armstrong Flight Research Center), NASA worked with California-based AeroVironment, Inc. The intent was to push new prototypes forward to advance technology quickly while remaining within modest budgets. Under the unique JSRA model, the program followed a normal vehicle development process but did so at an accelerated pace. One aspect of ERAST involved partnering with small aircraft manufacturers to establish the viability of high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) UAV flight. commercial purposes while establishing value in atmospheric science and Earth science applications. Its focus was on maturing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology in order to drive adoption for U.S. ERAST, the agency’s first industry-led Joint Sponsored Research Alliance (JSRA), represented a novel business model for NASA. Helios Prototype 03 (HP03) was the last generation in a ground-breaking family of remotely piloted, solar-powered flying wing aircraft that were part of NASA’s Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) Program. Thirty minutes later, the project ended for good. on June 26, 2003, a solar-powered flying wing set out to expand the boundaries of high-altitude, long-distance unmanned flight. NPR 7120.5 Revision F Rollout Briefing (NASA Only)Īt 10:06 a.m.Lessons Learned Lifecycle and Highlights.Systems and Engineering Leadership Program (SELP). ![]()
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