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Now that is pretty cool.
David L.
Ben Franklin: "Only a
virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt, they have
more need of masters."
NASA keeps plane aloft with laser
A team of NASA
researchers have, for the first time, flown
a small plane powered only by
a ground-based laser. The team
from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, Ala.,
NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, Calif.,
and
the University of Alabama in Huntsville aimed the laser at
photovoltaic cells that powered the propeller, according to
SpaceRef.com Thursday. The plane, with its 5-foot wingspan,
weighs
only 11 ounces and is constructed from balsa wood and
carbon fiber tubing.
The lightweight plane was flown indoors
at Marshall to prevent wind and
weather from affecting the
test flights. After the craft was released
inside the building,
the laser beam was aimed at the airplane panels,
causing the
propeller to spin and propel the craft around the building,
lap after lap. Without the need for onboard fuel or batteries,
such a plane could carry scientific or communication equipment
and
stay in flight indefinitely.
Greg Hopper
"Why is it that our children can't
read a Bible in school, but they can
in
prison?"
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