资源描述：
《flying solar powered airplanes soaring high on spirit and systems》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在工程资料-天天文库。
1、3FlyingSolar-PoweredAirplanes:SoaringHighonSpiritandSystemsbyAlexanderLaufer,EdwardHoffman,andDonCohenIWastheEnemy“‘Where’stherestoftheplane?’ThatwasmyreactionwhenIsawthePathfinder,”saysJennyBaer-Riedhart,programmanagerattheDrydenFlightResearchCenter,NASA’sCenterforaeronauticalresearchlocatedinCa
2、lifornia.“Ihadjustbeennamedprogramman-agerandwasseeingtheplaneupcloseforthefirsttime.Ihadtoask,‘Willitfly?’Itwasanodd-lookingbird.”PathfinderwasAeroVironment’ssolar-poweredairplaneandoneoffouraircraftsthatwerepartofNASA’sEnvironmentalResearchAircraftandSensorTechnology(ERAST)programlaunchedatthee
3、ndof1994.Itwasconstructedofstate-of-the-artcomposites,plas-tics,andfoam.Theuppersurfaceoftheaircraft’s100-footwingwascoveredalmostcompletelybythinsolar-cellarraysthatcollectedthesun’senergyandconverteditintoelectricity,which,inturn,poweredsixsmallmotorswithpropellers.Reflectingontheriskynatureoft
4、heprogram,Jennyexplains:“UnmannedAerialVehicle(UAV)technologyisinherentlyriskyandnotconsideredanespeciallysoundinvestment.Thiswasparticularlytruein1994,whenwekickedofftheERAST7172MasteringtheLeadershiproLeinprojectManageMentprogram.TheideabehindERASTwastominimizetherisksasmuchaspossiblebyjoiningf
5、orceswiththebestcompaniesintheindustry.“ERASTrepresentedawholenewwayofdoingbusinessforNASA.Theagencyhadbeeninvolvedinsimilarpartnershipsbefore,buttheywerealluniversity-led.Thiswouldbethefirstindustry-ledallianceofitstype.NASAwouldprovidesomefundingtothecompanies,butthecompanieswouldalsohavetopony
6、uptheirownresources.Ifthealliancewassuccess-ful,thenNASAwouldbeabletodemonstratetheviabilityofUAVsforatmosphericscience,andthecompanieswouldbeabletoapplytheirworktowardcommercialization.NowallweneededwasapprovalforthebudgetfromNASA’sheadquartersinWashington.“Butasitturnedout,securingfundingforthi
7、sprojectwouldprovetobenoeasytaskandwouldrequirealotofpersistence,commitment,andflexibility.Ihadjustfinishedupanotherprogramtodevelopanext-generationUAV.Eventhoughtheplanehadcrashed,nobodywasreadytogiveuponthistechnol-o
