AeroVironment developed an experimental fuel cell-based electrical energy system combining advanced automotive fuel cell components with proprietary control technology designed for the harsh environment above 50,000 feet altitude. The second milestone established by NASA for its development a long-endurance demonstration flight of almost two days and nights required development of a supplemental electrical power system to provide power at night when the solar arrays are unable to produce electricity. The additional wingspan increased the area available for installation of solar cells and improved aerodynamic efficiency, allowing the Helios Prototype to fly higher, longer and with a larger payload than the smaller craft. In upgrading the Centurion to the Helios Prototype configuration, AeroVironment added a sixth wing section, a fifth landing gear pod and a differential Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system to improve navigation, among other improvements. The craft has a wingspan of 247 feet, 41 feet greater than the Centurion, 2 1/2 times that of the Pathfinder flying wing, and longer than the wingspans of either the Boeing 747 jetliner or Lockheed C-5 transport aircraft. The Helios Prototype is an enlarged version of the Centurion flying wing that flew a series of test flights at Dryden in late 1998. The remotely piloted Helios Prototype first flew during a series of low-altitude checkout and development flights on battery power in late 1999 over Rogers Dry Lake adjacent to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in the Southern California desert. A follow up - on to the Pathfinder and Pathfinder-Plus solar aircraft, the Helios Prototype soared to 96,863 feet altitude in August 2001, setting a new world record for sustained altitude by winged aircraft, powered only by energy from the sun.ĭeveloped by AeroVironment, Inc., of Monrovia, Calif., under NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) project, the unique craft was designed to demonstrate two key missions: the ability to reach and sustain horizontal flight near 100,000 feet altitude on a single-day flight, and to maintain flight above 50,000 feet altitude for almost two days, the latter mission with the aid of an experimental fuel cell-based supplemental electrical. Navy, to determine the exact cause of the Helios Prototype mishap, will form an accident investigation team.The Helios Prototype was in 2001 the latest and largest example of a slow-flying ultralight flying wing designed for high-altitude, long-duration Earth science or telecommunications relay missions. NASA, supported by AeroVironment and the U.S. The Helios Prototype set a world altitude record for winged aircraft, 96,863 feet, during a flight in August 2001. The Helios Prototype was designed to fly at altitudes of up to 100,000 feet on single-day atmospheric science and imaging missions, as well as perform multi-day telecommunications relay missions at altitudes from 50,000 to 65,000 feet. At night Helios was powered by an experimental fuel cell-based electrical system. manages the program.Ĭurrent to power Helios' electric motors and other systems during the day was generated by high-efficiency solar cells spread across the upper surface of its 247-foot long wing. NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. The Helios Prototype is one of several remotely piloted aircraft whose technological development has been sponsored and funded by NASA under the Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology program. The mishap occurred during a shakedown mission in preparation for a long-endurance flight planned for next month. Helios had been aloft for about 29 minutes. The lightweight flying wing had taken off from PMRF at about 5 a.m. The solar-electric, propeller-driven aircraft had been flying under the guidance of ground-based mission controllers for AeroVironment, Inc., of Monrovia, Calif., the plane's builder and operator. The cause of the mishap is under investigation. The remotely piloted aircraft came down in the ocean, within the confines of the PMRF test range, west of the facility. No property damage, other than the prototype, or injuries occurred as a result of the mishap. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on Kauai, Hawaii. It crashed during a checkout flight from the U.S. Helios, a proof-of-concept solar-electric flying wing, was designed to operate at extremely high altitudes for long duration. The remotely operated Helios Prototype aircraft was destroyed when it crashed into the Pacific Ocean, June 26.
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