Odysseus, an autonomous surveillance-plane concept,
will fly for years on end, powered by nothing but the sun
By Kara Platoni Posted 06.22.2009 at 10:55 am
8 Comments
Nine days: That's the longest any airplane has stayed in the air. Burt and Dick Rutan's
Voyager set the record in 1986 by flying 24,986 miles around the world without refueling. But nine days of uninterrupted flight won't cut it for Darpa, the Pentagon's advanced-research organization. It's challenged the aviation industry to come up with an unmanned surveillance and communications plane that can circle targets for half a decade — and do so on nothing but solar power.
For more:
Giant Solar Plane Will Stay Aloft for Five Years Straight | Popular Science
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