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NASA keeps plane aloft with laser
A team of NASA researchers have, for the first time, flown a small plane powered only by a ground-based laser. The team from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, Calif., and the University of Alabama in Huntsville aimed the laser at photovoltaic cells that powered the propeller, according to SpaceRef.com Thursday. The plane, with its 5-foot wingspan, weighs only 11 ounces and is constructed from balsa wood and carbon fiber tubing. The lightweight plane was flown indoors at Marshall to prevent wind and weather from affecting the test flights. After the craft was released inside the building, the laser beam was aimed at the airplane panels, causing the propeller to spin and propel the craft around the building, lap after lap. Without the need for onboard fuel or batteries, such a plane could carry scientific or communication equipment and stay in flight indefinitely. Greg Hopper
"Why is it that our children can't
read a Bible in school, but they can
in
prison?" |
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