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NASA advanced aeronautics design solar powered remotely piloted vehicleEnvironmental problems such as the depletion of the ozone layer and air pollution demand a change in traditional means of propulsion that is sensitive to the ecology. Solar powered propulsion is a favorable alternative that is both ecologically harmless as well as cost effective. Integration of solar energy into designs ranging from futuristic vehicles to heating is beneficial to society. The design and construction of a Multi-Purpose Remotely Piloted Vehicle (MPRPV) seeks to verify the feasibility of utilizing solar propulsion as a primary fuel source. This task has been a year long effort by a group of ten students, divided into five teams, each dealing with different aspects of the design. The aircraft was designed to take-off, climb to the design altitude, fly in a sustained figure-eight flight path, and cruise for approximately one hour. This mission requires flight at Reynolds numbers between 150,000 and 200,000 and demands special considerations in the aerodynamic design in order to achieve flight in this regime. Optimal performance requires a light weight configuration with both structural integrity and maximum power availability. The structure design and choice of solar cells for the propulsion was governed by the weight, efficiency, and cost considerations. The final design is a MPRPV weighting 35 N which cruises 7 m/s at the design altitude of 50 m. The configuration includes a wing composed of balsa and foam NACA 6409 airfoil sections and carbon fiber spars, a tail of similar construction, and a truss structure fuselage. The propulsion system consists of 98 10 percent efficient solar cells donated by Mobil Solar, a NiCad battery for energy storage, and a folding propeller regulated by a lightweight and efficient control system. The airfoils and propeller chosen for the design were research and tested during the design process.
Document ID
19920011423
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Contractor Report (CR)
Authors
Elario, David S.
(Worcester Polytechnic Inst. MA, United States)
Guillmette, Neal H.
(Worcester Polytechnic Inst. MA, United States)
Lind, Gregory S.
(Worcester Polytechnic Inst. MA, United States)
Webster, Jonathan D.
(Worcester Polytechnic Inst. MA, United States)
Ferreira, Michael J.
(Worcester Polytechnic Inst. MA, United States)
Konstantakis, George C.
(Worcester Polytechnic Inst. MA, United States)
Marshall, David L.
(Worcester Polytechnic Inst. MA, United States)
Windt, Cari L.
(Worcester Polytechnic Inst. MA, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
April 30, 1991
Subject Category
Aircraft Design, Testing And Performance
Report/Patent Number
NAS 1.26:190007
NASA-CR-190007
Accession Number
92N20665
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NASW-4435
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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