By soaking up laser light and converting it to electricity to power its propeller, a model airplane maintained its flight for a team of NASA researchers using laser light to power the craft from the ground. Officials at NASA’s Marshall and Dryden flight centers, as well as the University of Alabama in Huntsville, report the flight is the first use of laser light energy to power a plane. The technology could lead to breakthroughs in remote sensing, such as weather observation, and in telecommunications, where floating transmitters could relay data.
Loading ...
NASA Team Powers Plane with Remote Laser
Posted by: Jay Lyman October 10, 2003 01:23 PMBy soaking up laser light and converting it to electricity to power its propeller, a model airplane maintained its flight for a team of NASA researchers using laser light to power the craft from the ground. Officials at NASA’s Marshall and Dryden flight centers, as well as the University of Alabama in Huntsville, report the flight is the first use of laser light energy to power a plane. The technology could lead to breakthroughs in remote sensing, such as weather observation, and in telecommunications, where floating transmitters could relay data.