Hoʻonui ka ʻoihana mokulele uila mai NASA

Ua hāʻawi ʻo NASA i ka makana nui loa ma ka mōʻaukala mokulele, i hana ʻia e hoʻoulu i ka ulu ʻana o nā mokulele ʻoi loa ka wahie a hoʻomaka i kahi ʻoihana mokulele uila hou. Wahi a NASA, nā ʻenehana i hōʻike ʻia e ka CAFE Green Flight Challenge, i kākoʻo ʻia e Google, e hoʻopau paha nā mea hoʻokūkū i nā mokulele mokulele, e hāpai ana i nā hana hou a me nā ʻoihana hou no ke kenekulia 21.

ʻO ka makana ma kahi o $ 1.35 miliona i hāʻawi ʻia i ka hui Pipistrel-USA.com o ke Kulanui Mokuʻāina, Pa. ʻO ka makana ma kahi o $ 120,000 i lilo i kime eGenius, o Ramona, Calif.

Ua ʻōlelo ʻo NASA ua hoʻopaʻa inoa nā kime he ʻumikūmāhā i ka hoʻokūkū. ʻEkolu mau kime i kūleʻa i nā koi āpau a hoʻokūkū i ka lewa ma luna o ke kahua mokulele ʻo Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County ma Santa Rosa, Calif. Ua mālama ʻia ka hoʻokūkū e ka Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation ma lalo o kahi ʻaelike me NASA.

"Ua hoʻomaikaʻi aku ʻo NASA iā Pipistrel-USA.com no ka hōʻoia ʻana i loko o kā mākou lima ka mokulele ʻoi loa," i ʻōlelo ʻia e Joe Parrish, ka ʻenehana loea ma NASA ma ke keʻena nui ʻo NASA. "I kēia lā ua hōʻike mākou ua neʻe aku nā mokulele uila ma ʻō aku o ka ʻepekema ʻepekema a aia i ke ao o ka hana."

Ua hoʻohui ʻo NASA e lele pono nā mokulele lanakila i 200 mile ma lalo o ʻelua mau hola a hoʻohana ma lalo o hoʻokahi galani o ka wahie no kēlā me kēia mea noho, a i ʻole ka mea like i ka uila. ʻO nā kime o ka mua a me ka lua, ʻo ia ka mana o ka uila, i loaʻa i ʻelua mau manawa ke koi pono wahie o ka hoʻokūkū, ʻo ia hoʻi ua lele lākou i 200 mile e hoʻohana ana ma kahi o ka hapalua galani o ka wahie like no kēlā me kēia mea holo.

"ʻElua mau makahiki i hala aku nei ka manaʻo o ka lele ʻana he 200 mau mile ma 100 mph i kahi mokulele uila he hana ʻepekema maʻemaʻe ia," wahi a Jack W. Langelaan, alakaʻi alakaʻi o Team Pipistrel-USA.com. "I kēia manawa, ke nānā nei mākou a pau i ka wā e hiki mai ana o ka lele uila."

Ua hoʻohui ʻo NASA ʻo ka hoʻokūkū o kēia hebedoma ka palena o ka ʻoi aku o ʻelua mau makahiki o ka hoʻolālā mokulele, hoʻomohala ʻana a me nā hoʻāʻo ʻana no nā kime. "Hōʻike ia i ka wanaʻao o kahi au hou i ka lele maikaʻi a ʻo ia ka manawa mua a nā mokulele uila piha i hana i ka hoʻokūkū. Hoʻohui like, ua hoʻopukapuka nā hui hoʻokūkū ma mua o $ 4 miliona i ka alualu ʻana i ka ʻeke makana hoʻokūkū. ”

Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Eric Raymond, alakaʻi hui o eGenius: "Haʻaheo wau i ka lanakila ʻana o Pipistrel, ua alakaʻi lākou i ka hoʻokomo ʻana i kēia mau mea i ka hana, a pono maoli ka hui, a ua hana ikaika e lanakila i kēia makana."

Wahi a NASA e hoʻohana i nā hoʻokūkū makana e hoʻonui i ka helu a me nā ʻano like ʻole o kēlā me kēia, nā hui a me nā kime e kamaʻilio nei i kahi pilikia a i ʻole kahi pilikia. Hoʻoulu ka hoʻokūkū makana i nā hoʻopukapuka ʻoihana pilikino i ʻoi aku ka nui o nā manawa ma mua o ka waiwai kālā o ka makana a ʻoi aku ka nuʻukia o NASA ma ka ʻumeʻume ʻana i ka hoihoi a me ka nānā i kahi pahuhopu ʻenehana i wehewehe ʻia. ʻO kēia hoʻokūkū makana kahi ʻāpana o ka papahana NASA Centennial Challenges, ʻāpana o ka Polokalamu Technology Technology, mālama ʻia e ka NASA Office of the Chief Technologist.