Thirtieth anniversary – the first Public Demonstration Of solar-Powered mainossanomaa Penguin

August 7, 1980, 30 years ago today, Janice Brown flew solar power mainossanomaa Penguin dry lakebed collected Edwards in California, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center crowd the entire view. Janice flew Penguin almost 3,5 km (two miles) on the same 14 minutes, 21 seconds. This was the first continuous air solar power for the certification of aircraft and the length of the Penguin in flight because of the development of the aircraft had begun two years earlier. It does not, however, the first flight on the Sun alone. Two months earlier, Penguin designer CatGenie SaniSolution Paul MacCready 13-year-old boy, Marshall, was of the first solar power a short flight of about 152 metres (500 ft.), 18. May 1980.

Before boarding, Marshall's Penguin had flown verkkotunnistetietojen solar cells made by the members of the power to the vehicle battery pack. This 1979 photo is shown below using a combination of solar and battery Penguin Janice:

Gossamer Penguin Rogers Dry Lakebed flight

Paul MacCready, led by the Working Group was built in the Penguin back up albatross MacCready mainossanomaa, which became the first human-powered aircraft to fly across the English channel in 1979. Albatross is displayed in the National Air and Space Museum National Mall building.

12 June 1979 mainossanomaa-albatross with Bryan Allen as the pilot, who became the first human-powered aircraft to fly across the English channel.

Penguin Spanned 22 m (71 ft.) and weigh to the nearest 31 kg (68 lbs.) without a leader. 3,920-Cell solar panel that can gravitate towards the Sun produced 541 Watts to run is called Astro Cobalt-40, AstroFlight Inc. built by an electric motor Good account information, such as the development of the Penguin power system can be found here.

Penguin was so fragile and difficult to monitor that the flight was limited to just after the dawn of the Centre.Unfortunately, the morning sun low angle only flat on the surface of the wing are part of the energy input to the development team had to attach. upright solar cells to cells in a plane perpendicular to the instrument panel in the land of the rising sun.Penguin to the airframe was difficult to be light weight, stronger airplane construction was incapable of flight.One electric motor could auto only so much weight into the air and only a small pilots can fly Penguin, which weighed 31 kg (68 lbs.).Janice weigh approximately 45 (100 lbs.)-Marshall only 36 kg (80 lbs.).

Penguin represents a milestone that other users can continue to work on structural and aerodynamic efficiency solar powered aircraft lighter weight, better and more powerful batteries that could one day save energy solar cells, in order to allow the aircraft to fly even at night and to encourage the development of systems. earlier this year, electric propulsion comparative effectiveness of an aircraft in flight (CAFE) Foundation sponsored a seminar on showed how far we can take 30 years since Janice flew Penguin.

The future looks very promising. NASA Aeronautics engineer Mark Moore said in January that "many researchers are proposing a tripling of the current battery energy in the next five to seven years," which could lead to small electric power Airplanes areas 240 320 km (150-200-nautical-mile). Anticipating these improvements, NASA has begun to develop exciting new concept called the Puffin electric aircraft. for more information about the Scientific American and Alternative energy News for more information.

Russ Lee is the curator of the National Air and Space Museum in aerospace.