Wednesday, August 20, 2014

NASA's GL-10 Goes Vertical

No, this picture is not photoshoped.  That really is a drone aircraft with 10 engines installed.

This strange beast is the NASA GL-10 or Greased Lightening and before you ask the question
"is NASA crazy?" I have to explain that those engines on the GL-10 are electric and they have such a radical amount of torque that the plane can haul itself off the ground straight up!

Brought to us by engineers at NASA's Langley Research Center, this wild unmanned drone has only a 10 foot wingspan which means it has lift, speed and maneuverability in excess.  One feature that being incorporated into the GL-10 test bed is extended range.  Greased Lightening is a hybrid instead of a pure electric.  GL's fuselage contains two small 8 hp diesel engines pushing alternators which charge the engine's batteries.  This cuts down on battery weight without the sacrificing range. 

Read the complete article in Extreme Tech HERE 

 

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