Solar-powered airplane design for long-endurance, high-altitude flightThis paper describes the performance analysis and design of a solar-powered airplane for long-endurance, unmanned, high-altitude cruise flight utilizing electric propulsion and solar energy collection/storage devices. For a fixed calendar date and geocentric latitude, the daily energy balance, airplane sizing, and airplane aerodynamics relations combine to determine airplane size and geometry to meet mission requirements. Vehicle component weight loadings, aerodynamic parameters, and current and projected values of power train component characteristics form the basis of the solution. For a specified mission, a candidate airplane design is presented to demonstrate the feasibility of solar-powered long endurance flight. Parametric data are presented to illustrate the airplane's mission flexibility.
Document ID
19820048449
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Youngblood, J. W. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Talay, T. A. (NASA Langley Research Center Space Systems Div., Hampton, VA, United States)