Nasa Laser powered flight...

[Rilescat]

Cool.

Nasa Laser powered flight.

 

[AbsolutDealage]

Not really that exciting... more of a "solar power" model plane. Just using photovoltaic panels and pointing a laser at them to drive a propeller on a 11 ounce balsa wood model. The problem is that if you are going to have any kind of payload, the output of the laser needs to be extremely high, due to the losses inherant in photovoltaic transfer. Kinda defeats the purpose if you ask me.

 

[FFactory0x]

yea it looks good on paper and with a 11 ounce plane but multiply that by 1000000000000000000000 and you get the amout of enery you need to put up a 100000 ton spacecraft

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: AbsolutDealage
Not really that exciting... more of a "solar power" model plane. Just using photovoltaic panels and pointing a laser at them to drive a propeller on a 11 ounce balsa wood model. The problem is that if you are going to have any kind of payload, the output of the laser needs to be extremely high, due to the losses inherant in photovoltaic transfer. Kinda defeats the purpose if you ask me.

It is a prototype, if your so smart why dont you go work for NASA.

 

[AbsolutDealage]

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: AbsolutDealage
Not really that exciting... more of a "solar power" model plane. Just using photovoltaic panels and pointing a laser at them to drive a propeller on a 11 ounce balsa wood model. The problem is that if you are going to have any kind of payload, the output of the laser needs to be extremely high, due to the losses inherant in photovoltaic transfer. Kinda defeats the purpose if you ask me.

It is a prototype, if your so smart why dont you go work for NASA.

I'm just saying, It's not new, and it's not practical for anything with a payload. A highschooler who's good with balsa wood could have done the same thing.