holds a stack of lithium-
gymnasium in MIT's duPont
such as rudders and elevators.
polymer batteries. Barrett's ion
Athletic Center -- the largest
plane team included members
indoor space they could find to
________________________
of Professor David Perreault's
perform their experiments. The
________________
Power Electronics Research
team flew the plane a distance
Group
in
the
Research
of 60 meters (the maximum
Source:
Massachusetts
Laboratory of Electronics, who
distance within the gym) and
Institute of Technology
designed a power supply that
found the plane produced
would convert the batteries'
enough ionic thrust to sustain
A new MIT plane is propelled
output to a sufficiently high
flight the entire time. They
via ionic wind. Batteries in the
voltage to propel the plane. In
repeated the flight 10 times,
fuselage (tan compartment
this way, the batteries supply
with similar performance.
in front of plane) supply
electricity at 40,000 volts to
"This was the simplest possible
voltage to electrodes (blue/
positively charge the wires via
plane we could design that
white horizontal lines) strung
a lightweight power converter.
could prove the concept that
along the length of the plane,
Once the wires are energized,
an ion plane could fly," Barrett
generating a wind of ions that
they act to attract and strip
says. "It's still some way away
propels the plane forward.
away
negatively
charged
from an aircraft that could
Credit: Christine Y. He
electrons from the surrounding
perform a useful mission. It
air molecules, like a giant
needs to be more efficient, fly
Story Source:
magnet attracting iron filings.
for longer, and fly outside."
Materials
provided
by
The air molecules that are
Barrett's team is working on
Massachusetts Institute of
left behind are newly ionized,
increasing the efficiency of
Technology. Original written by
and are in turn attracted to the
their design, to produce more
Jennifer Chu. Note: Content
negatively charged electrodes
ionic wind with less voltage.
may be edited for style and
at the back of the plane.
The researchers are also
length.
As the newly formed cloud
hoping to increase the design's
of ions flows toward the
thrust density -- the amount of
negatively
charged
wires,
thrust generated per unit area.
each ion collides millions of
Currently, flying the team's
times with other air molecules,
lightweight
plane
requires
creating a thrust that propels
a large area of electrodes,
the aircraft forward.
which essentially makes up
The team, which also included
the plane's propulsion system.
Lincoln
Laboratory
staff
Ideally, Barrett would like to
Thomas Sebastian and Mark
design an aircraft with no
Woolston, flew the plane in
visible propulsion system or
multiple test flights across the
separate controls surfaces
Articles & Research
34

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