World Record: Solar-Powered Plane Lands After 14 Days
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July 23, 2010 -- Today, an unmanned aircraft is breaking a record. The Zephyr solar-powered plane will land after being aloft for two weeks straight. It was launched on July 9, and flew 14 nights above the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. An official from the world air federation, Federation Aeronautique Internationale, confirmed that the plane flew longer, non-stop and without refueling, than any other airplane.
QinetiQ HO
The ultra-lightweight plane is built from carbon fiber and weighs about 110 pounds; it has a wingspan of about 74 feet. It’s power comes from solar panels that are no thicker than a sheet of paper. The panels collect energy from the sun to run the plane during the day. The solar energy is also used to recharge lithium-sulphur batteries, which are used to power the aircraft by night.
AP Photo/ QinetiQ HO
Zephyr was built by the British defense company QinetiQ as a surveillance and communications craft. But it also could be used to for environmental research, to monitor crops and pollution, to examine disaster zones and provide mobile communications capabilities in remote areas.
AP Photo/ QinetiQ/HO
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