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Science Results and Future Applications of Solar-Powered Pathfinder to be Detailed in Briefing

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington, DC                    January 13, 1998
(Phone:  202/358-1726)

NOTE TO EDITORS: N98-4

SCIENCE RESULTS AND FUTURE APPLICATIONS OF 
SOLAR-POWERED PATHFINDER TO BE DETAILED IN BRIEFING

     Science results and the future applications of the remotely 
piloted, solar-powered aircraft Pathfinder will be the subject of 
a technical briefing from 8:30 a.m. to noon EST on Wednesday, Jan. 
21, at NASA Headquarters' auditorium, 300 E Street SW, 
Washington, DC.

     The briefing will include an overview of the Pathfinder 
program and its related flights, the aircraft's design history, 
and a review of detailed imagery obtained from two digital 
instruments flown on the aircraft.  The session is open to the 
public and media representatives are invited.

     Last year, Pathfinder broke the record for high-altitude 
flight by a propeller-driven aircraft (71,530 ft.) during flight 
operations conducted at the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range 
Facility, Kauai, Hawaii.  The aircraft also demonstrated its 
capability to carry scientific payloads and other experiments into 
the upper atmosphere.  This means that future flights could spend 
long periods of time over an ocean monitoring storm developments 
to provide more accurate predictions of hurricanes or be used to 
monitor major croplands, forests and other large, remote expanses 
to provide early warning of crop damage or fires.  Other 
commercial applications such as remote communications relays are 
being explored.

     Pathfinder is one of several remotely piloted aircraft being 
developed under NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor 
Technology Program, which aims to provide faster, better, and 
cheaper vehicles to obtain measurements at higher altitudes and 
durations than the current fleet of scientific platforms.  
Additional technology goals include lightweight materials, 
avionics, sensor technology, aerodynamics, and other forms of 
propulsion suitable for extreme altitudes.  The most extreme 
mission envisioned for solar-powered aircraft would reach 
altitudes of 100,000 feet for environmental sampling missions.  
Science missions at lower altitudes could exceed one week.

                          -end-