Gliding Over Mars

On August 13th a new type of glider broke the world altitude record. The Helios Prototype, as its developers call it, demolished the previous greatest height achieved by a non-rocket aircraft. It peaked at 96,500 feet and became the highest flight ever for a propeller-driven, solar powered aircraft. The solar panels linked to the regenerative fuel tank, a type of battery, are the source and drive of Helios' energy. These panels produce enough energy to fly during the day and store the energy needed to fly at night.

The Helios Prototype has two missions. The goal is to achieve an altitude of 100,000 feet with a small payload. This mission would take one day and would demonstrate that an aircraft can carry a science instrument to extreme altitudes.

The second mission is to achieve an extreme duration flight, defined as a flight at 50,000 feet or higher lasting a minimum of four days.

If we were to reach these goals, many good things could happen. We could put in place better telecommunication devices that would be cheaper and more efficient for public use, create more accurate weather equipment, and most importantly, open the doors for the exploration of the surface of Mars.

Mars has a very thin atmosphere, equivalent to about one percent of the Earth's atmosphere at sea level. At 100,000 feet above the Earth is where Mars's and Earth's atmospheres are most alike. So, to simulate the atmosphere of Mars, flights must be able to sustain that height for a period of days.

When NASA is able to perfect this aircraft, explorers who travel to the red planet would be able to travel great distances over its surface instead of being limited to examining the area near their landing site.