December 10, 2003
Other Wordly Flyers
Here is a very nice article on some of the plans for exploring other planets with blimps, planes, helicopters, and other types of vehicles. It goes into some detail about the difficulties involved, mostly due to power and atmospheric denisty.
Solar powered aircraft are a good example of utilizing environment and a renewable power source to provide a vehicle capable of long duration flight, Colozza noted. "Solar power obviously won't work everywhere. Beyond Mars the solar intensity is too low to power an aircraft. So solar flight on the outer planets and moons will not be feasible. That leaves Venus and Mars," he said.
Colozza said Venus provides a unique possibility. Due to the planet's proximity to the Sun there is abundant solar energy. Venus, however, is veiled in thick clouds. Add to that high wind speeds. This environmental twosome makes solar powered flight tough to do on that planet.
Very cool stuff.
Posted by elkaim at December 10, 2003 5:07 PM