Dwayne Brown 
Headquarters, Washington,                    July 14, 1997 
(Phone: 202/358-1726)

Fred Brown
Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA
(Phone: 805/258-2663)

Eric Dunn
Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kekaha, Kauai, Hawaii 
(Phone: 808/335-4560)


RELEASE:  97-153

SOLAR-POWERED PATHFINDER SETS NEW RECORD; PREPARES 
TO MONITOR DEFORESTATION OF HAWAIIAN ISLAND 

    A sleek flying remotely piloted vehicle named Pathfinder 
set a new unofficial world record for high-altitude flight by a 
solar-powered aircraft at the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range 
Facility, Kauai, Hawaii.  The new mark of over 71, 500 feet set 
last week exceeds Pathfinder's previous record of 67,350 feet 
set in June 1997. Pathfinder is now being prepared to monitor 
coral reef degradation and deforestation around the island of 
Kauai. 

    "The altitude achievement, a major milestone for the 
program, demonstrates the aircraft's capability to carry 
scientific payloads and other experiments into the upper 
atmosphere," said Jennifer Baer-Riedhart, Project Manager for 
NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology 
program at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA. 

    Remotely piloted aircraft similar to Pathfinder could spend 
long periods of time over the ocean monitoring storm 
developments to provide more accurate predictions of 
hurricanes. These aircraft also could be used to monitor major 
croplands, forests and other large, remote expanses to provide 
early warning of crop damage or fires. The payloads for 
demonstration flights for the program are supplied by NASA's 
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA. 

     The program is NASA's response to growing scientific 
requirements for measurements at higher altitudes and durations 
than the current fleet of scientific platforms permits. 
Additional technologies considered by the joint NASA-industry 
alliance include lightweight materials, avionics, sensor 
technology, aerodynamics, and other forms of propulsion 
suitable for extreme altitudes. Pathfinder is one of several 
remotely piloted aircraft being evaluated under the program. 
The program focuses on developing technologies required to 
operate slow-flying unpiloted aircraft at high altitudes. The 
most extreme mission envisioned for solar-powered aircraft 
would reach altitudes of 100,000 feet for environmental 
sampling missions that last a week or longer. 

    Pathfinder is a flying wing (with a span of 99 feet), with 
two small pods that extend below the wing's center section, 
that can carry a variety of scientific sensors. The solar 
arrays on the wing can provide as much as 7,200 watts of power 
at high noon on a summer day to power the craft's six electric 
motors and other electronic systems. A backup battery system 
can provide power for up to five hours to fly the craft after 
sundown. Pathfinder was designed, manufactured and is operated 
by AeroVironment, Inc., of Simi Valley, CA, under a jointly 
sponsored research agreement with NASA. 

    Pathfinder's record-breaking flight occurred on July 7, 
with a takeoff at 2:34 p.m. EDT. After completion of low-level 
system checks, Pathfinder began climbing. Just after 8:45 p.m. 
EDT, it passed its previous altitude record. The aircraft 
continued to climb to over 71,500 feet before mission 
controllers decided to bring the craft back to Earth. 
Pathfinder completed its mission with a perfect landing at 5:05 
a.m. EDT. 

    The record is the highest altitude ever attained by a 
propeller-driven aircraft. Before Pathfinder, the altitude 
record for propeller-driven aircraft was 67,028 feet set by the 
experimental Boeing Condor remotely piloted aircraft. 

                               -end-

NOTE TO EDITORS:  Still photos to support this release are 
available from the Dryden Public Affairs Office. Photos also 
are available on the Internet under NASA Dryden Research 
Aircraft Photo Archive, Dryden News and Feature Photos, at URL: 

        http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo

NASA Dryden news releases also are available on the Internet at 
URL: 

      http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/PAO/PressReleases/index.html