Boeing unveiled its new unmanned airborne solar vehicle that will be capable of remaining aloft in the stratosphere for at least five years.
Designed to be a “zero-maintenance, launch-and-leave” aircraft, the SolarEagle can orbit as a satellite, but with a lower cost, which makes it attractive for a variety of intelligence, communications and commercial applications.
(READ the TechNews story at MSNBC)
This is a wonderful, inspiring project. However, please be clear to your readers that this aircraft’s [i]prototype[/i], demonstrator won’t even be launched for another three years. Similarly, I wouldn’t talk of a bright young beginning sophomore in college, as if she was about to matriculate into a prestigious graduate school! With these cutting-edge developments, I like to be clear on things that [i]have[/i] been developed (eg 100 mpg cars) versus things that [i]will[/i] be developed (eg, cars that run on water). Keep up the wonderful work, Geri, I re-post your pieces often!