COLLECTION NAME:
NASA Image eXchange Collection
Record
Title:
The Helios Prototype flying wing stretches almost the full length of the 300-foot-long hangar at NAS
Description:
The Helios Prototype flying wing stretches almost the full length of the 300-foot-long hangar at NASA's Dryden flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The 247-foot span solar-powered aircraft, resting on its ground maneuvering dolly, was on display for a visit of NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and other NASA officials on January 31, 2002. The unique solar-electric flying wing reached an altitude of 96,863 feet during an almost 17-hour flight near Hawaii on August 13, 2001, a world record for sustained horizontal flight by a non-rocket powered aircraft. Developed by AeroVironment, Inc., under NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) project, the Helios Prototype is the forerunner of a planned fleet of slow-flying, long duration, high-altitude uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAV) which can serve as "atmospheric satellites," performing Earth science missions or functioning as telecommunications relay platforms in the stratosphere.
Date:
02.01.2002
facet_who:
Administrator Sean O'Keefe
facet_what:
Earth
facet_where:
California
facet_when:
02-01-2002
facet_when_year:
2001
Media:
IMAGE
ID:
EC02-0031-6
UID:
SPD-NIX-EC02-0031-6
