Nuclear Powered Aircraft

bet you can't just place the reactor furthest from the crew either or it would upset the balance of the plane and make it tail heavy

ineed it would be easier to move the crew lol, CoG has to be infront of CoP so mthe plane can glide if there's an engine failure
 
Unfortunately those craft are just about only capable of getting themselves into the air let alone payload and have to fly at very restricted speeds on a set course to receive sufficient sun light.

Also if memory serves isn't the record about 700 miles before the aircraft snapped under it's own weight?

No, the current technology allowed a circumnavigation of the globe with a pilot.
 
Yes current technology, the plane is designed to fly around the world, that is what the technology goalpost was. What is happening now is fine tuning and testing, the technology won't change.

It's not current technology if it's not working. And if you read the website it says there will be 4-5 stop overs, so it's not a round-the-world flight, it's 4-5 separate flights over a 3 week period.

http://www.solarimpulse.com/en/airplane/major-steps/
 
It's not current technology if it's not working. And if you read the website it says there will be 4-5 stop overs, so it's not a round-the-world flight, it's 4-5 separate flights over a 3 week period.

http://www.solarimpulse.com/en/airplane/major-steps/

If you want to be pedantic it is already old technology that was designed 5-8 years ago:rolleyes:


It is current technology, it is working and making stopovers doesn't detract from the fact that it will fly around the globe with equal or less stops than the first gasoline powered planes.

Grow up.
 
If you want to be pedantic it is already old technology that was designed 5-8 years ago:rolleyes:


It is current technology, it is working and making stopovers doesn't detract from the fact that it will fly around the globe with equal or less stops than the first gasoline powered planes.

Grow up.


You have clearly vastly overestimated current technological capabilities based on your misunderstanding of what the aeroplane was designed to do. Telling me to "grow up" and arguing semantics is really not going to save face at this point...
 
You have clearly vastly overestimated current technological capabilities based on your misunderstanding of what the aeroplane was designed to do. Telling me to "grow up" and arguing semantics is really not going to save face at this point...

LOL, you have no idea about my understanding of the project.

Before you dig your grave any deeper know this, I personally know may of the people who worked on and designed many of the system components and the technology used. The goal of the project was quite simply to develop a plane that could circumnavigate the globe with a single pilot using only solar power. That is the goal that drove the technology and design of the craft, most of that is 5-8 years old now already.


Testing and QA has nothing to do with technology and research.
 
LOL, you have no idea about my understanding of the project.

Before you dig your grave any deeper know this, I personally know may of the people who worked on and designed many of the system components and the technology used. The goal of the project was quite simply to develop a plane that could circumnavigate the globe with a single pilot using only solar power. That is the goal that drove the technology and design of the craft, most of that is 5-8 years old now already.


Testing and QA has nothing to do with technology and research.

So what? I Googled a Wikipedia article about it*

*actually I haven't, but I could if I really wanted to.
 
If solar power can be harvested so efficiently through cloud why does no one use solar in the north of the country?

Nuclear reactor? Hows about phosphorus gas or uranium enriched warheads? The US dabble in both it seems. ..a self destruct mechanism should suffice plus anyone who gets close enough to scavenge it might get contaminated anyway. Bonus. .

Just because it isn't economic doesn't mean you cannot collect power through cloud.

It's not current technology if it's not working. And if you read the website it says there will be 4-5 stop overs, so it's not a round-the-world flight, it's 4-5 separate flights over a 3 week period.

http://www.solarimpulse.com/en/airplane/major-steps/

And it flew 700 miles across the US. Yes, at an average speed of 45mph both it's not too important if you're looking for a drone to monitor the same location. Currently it has a pilot but I'm sure it could easily be converted to drone use if the military design something. The technology is there, it works, it just needs more tinkering with to make a realistic product. Much like any other produce in it's infancy.
 
Removing the pilot would make. It far simpler, smaller, lighter with greater endurance, the pilot adds a lot of weight, not just in terms of body mass but in safety systems and life support. Cutting 150kgs of we it would be a huge advantage, while making a plane. Autonomous is relatively trivial with today's technology.

Adding a pilot was done as a technological hurdle to show that it is feasible for human transport and to show significantly load capabilities. If you automated solar impulse then the weight could be used for sensing technologies for a military drone for example, and adding more batteries which are the current weakest part of the technology.

The design called for COTS li-po batteries fora variety of reasons. Future battery technology would help tremendously in reducing weight and size, increasing speed and payload etc.
 
LOL, you have no idea about my understanding of the project.

I don't really care either, nor is it relevant. Currently there is no piloted solar aircraft capable of flying round the world, nor will there be in 2015, end of. dalin80 is completely correct.

And it flew 700 miles across the US. Yes, at an average speed of 45mph both it's not too important if you're looking for a drone to monitor the same location. Currently it has a pilot but I'm sure it could easily be converted to drone use if the military design something. The technology is there, it works, it just needs more tinkering with to make a realistic product. Much like any other produce in it's infancy.

Speed is very important if you don't want it to get shot down, which is not difficult given it's low average altitude and massive profile.
 
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I don't really care either, nor is it relevant. Currently there is no piloted solar aircraft capable of flying round the world, nor will there be in 2015, end of. dalin80 is completely correct.

Current he technology is there and it will be demo started in 2015.



You do know that almost every gasoline powered plane not he planet cannot go around the world without landing or mid-air refueling (which is just as easy with a solar powered plane equipped with hot swappable batteries).


Think whatever you like but the engineers and scientists out there do know what has been accomplished so far. I am sorry you fail to understand this.
 
What has been accomplished so far is not in question. The only thing I (along with everyone else reading this thread) fail to understand is why you keep bringing up irrelevancies to try to save face after making a blatantly false claim.
 
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