Aug 14 2001
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(New page: NASA’s Helios aircraft set a world record for the highest altitude ever attained by an aircraft without rocket power. The solar-powered, propeller-driven aircraft reached an altitude of ...)
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NASA’s Helios aircraft set a world record for the highest altitude ever attained by an aircraft without rocket power. The solar-powered, propeller-driven aircraft reached an altitude of 96,500 feet (30,000 meters), eclipsing the previous record by more than 10,000 feet (3,000 meters). The remotely piloted aircraft took off from the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) in Hawaii at 8:48 a.m. local time on 13 August, staying aloft for nearly 17 hours before landing at 1:43 a.m. on 14 August. Fuel cells on the aircraft’s wings provided electrical power during the daylight hours, when the aircraft achieved the record altitude; at night, the plane’s propellers acted as generators, providing electrical power to control the aircraft. According to NASA, an aircraft operating at such an altitude would be able to monitor the environment, improve communications on Earth, and simulate the conditions of flight within the atmosphere of Mars. (NASA, “NASA Solar Aircraft Sets Altitude Record; Communications, Environmental Breakthroughs Expected,” news release 01-165, 14 August 2001.)
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